"Carnival" intimate relationships of crew members on cruise ships
"Carnival" intimate relationships of crew members on cruise ships

Summary/Abstract: Cultural norms in relationships are learned from parents, peers, and many others whose values, attitudes and behaviors take place in the context of their own social culture. This paper, partially based on my diploma thesis ‘Doubled identity of crew members on cruise ships as the instrument of cultural adaptation’ supervised by Mgr. Helena Tužinská, PhD. investigates intimate relationships of men and women of various ethnic identities with different cultural backgrounds who work on the cruise ships. Coming from all over the world, crew members of cruise ships bring here different cultural values, norms and attitudes. Nevertheless, shortly after the embarkation they are confronted by ‘ship life’ – the specific way of life on the cruise ships. Its acceptance is the only way of successful adaptation to the new social environment. Independently of their authentic cultural norms in relationships they acquire norms specific for ‘ship life’ and enter intimate relationships with characteristics of its part - ‘ship love’. This paper explores these characteristics as well as the strategies the crew members involved in these intimate relationships use to deal with the difference between their authentic and newly acquired intimate relationships’ norms. To make the mosaic of intimate relationships on cruise ships complete, I take closer ‘look’ at themes which are communicated by crew members most frequently: arranged marriages in some parts of India and transnational bride migration of some Filipino and Thai women.

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