As the product of cultural hybridization I have always felt somewhat isolated from those who have a stable identity to refer to and to relate to other people of their same culture with. Likewise, I feel an unspoken bond with those who have grown within contrasting ‘worlds’ - inevitably adopting parts of them both. A phenomena of migration is that foreign information is shared and worlds collide; this molds culture by allowing it to evolve by new thought and artistic expression.
Tilbury and Henderson's (2003) essay, 'Education for Intercultural Understanding in Australian Schools: A Review of its' Contribution to Education for a Sustainable Future' touches on the obstacles and solutions of encouraging intercultural understanding. The ultimate aim for education focused on intercultural understanding is to" equip students with the skills necessary to actively and meaningfully participate as a member of the global community (2003)". If the intellectual cumbiera would have been educated on all her academic knowledge in the context of cultural understanding she could have communicated better with the humble man she danced with. He would have likely learned a few things that would spark his curiosity and get him thinking.
Implementing intercultural understanding into the formal education sector could be done through analyzation of social issues from multiple perspectives in order to spark positive social change towards a sustainable future. Perhaps social status lines between the intellectual cumbiera and the humble man would begin to fade.
By analyzing social issues from multiple perspectives learning should progress along the path towards an intercultural understanding (see chart below). Since education builds the foundations of local, regional, national, and global zeitgeists, implementing such an element into education should set the long term culture up for engagement and integration rather then mere tolerance.
The chart above shows the gradual learning trend for different steps of realization beginning with education focusing on Intercultural Bias, Intercultural Incapacity, and Intercultural Blindness, and making its way to education focusing on Intercultural Respect, Intercultural Competence, and Intercultural Proficiency. A constraint to this learning process is that the education for intercultural understanding "exists in a dialectical relationship with the current political, economic and social environment (2003)." Therefore, in attempting to change current intercultural understanding, the conceptual contexts from the relationships that already exist within the community will inevitably be part of the education. However, this can be gradually over come by building the knowledge of each generation at local, regional, and national levels. Tilbury and Henderson (2003) also suggests that since the goal of education for intercultural understanding is to create "non-violent, just, and sustainable world community", certain key traits of this must be committed to.
Education for Intercultural Understanding must commit to:
Peace
Social Justice
Sustainable Development
Envisioning Futures
Social Critique
Social Change
Globalization
Critical Reflective Thinking
Active Learning Holistic Approaches
Values Clarification
Experiential Learning
Dialogue
Inquiry Learning
Critical Empowerment
& Intercultural Communication
Oh! To wonder what the future holds as transportation hastens of ease and globalization explodes exponentially!
Listening to a fellow hybrid, Kevin Johansen, a Argentinean-American musician I realized how much his song “Cumbiera Intelectual” (Intellectual ‘Cumbiera’) reflected this clash of culture.
(See the story below.)
I began to think of the communication aspect of EfSD that I have been reading and learning so much about, and how important it is to communicate with culture as well as language. Intercultural Communication encompasses the skills and ability to successfully interact with individuals of other cultures, utilizing appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication and avoiding ethnocentrism, racism, and stereotyping. It is important to achieving a Sustainable Society as well as a society that can engage in intercultural understanding (Tilbury & Henderson 2003).
So much to learn from one simple song… A story of culture, education, and globalization.
(See the story below.)
I began to think of the communication aspect of EfSD that I have been reading and learning so much about, and how important it is to communicate with culture as well as language. Intercultural Communication encompasses the skills and ability to successfully interact with individuals of other cultures, utilizing appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication and avoiding ethnocentrism, racism, and stereotyping. It is important to achieving a Sustainable Society as well as a society that can engage in intercultural understanding (Tilbury & Henderson 2003).
So much to learn from one simple song… A story of culture, education, and globalization.
The Story
The song is about an humble local man and an intellectual ‘cumbiera’ – a female ‘Cumbia’ dancer - who has studied literature and philosophy. She was characterized by confidence and sharing her knowledge constantly. This humble man who happened to dance with this intellectual ‘cumbiera’ in a tightly packed ‘cumbia’ club is mesmerized by her distinct ways. (In Latin-America typical dancing clubs, such as ‘cumbia’ clubs, are more common in more impoverished areas, so their contrast was unusual). While they danced and eventually went on a date she told him about many internationally renown intellectual topics. When he would talk about smelling flowers, for example, she would end up talking about history, Freud, the Guggenheims, Neruda’s poetry, and even about Virginia Wolf and her many lovers. The humble man mentions throughout the song how all the talking is bad for his health, and is genuinely worried that she thinks and talks so much, so he will pray to her saint to make her ‘more normal’. The man proceeds to reveal the value of the humble way of simply being when he describes the radiance witnessed in the times that the ‘cumbiera’ would let go of her thoughts and chatter to ‘just be’ her entire body seamed to let go and breathe.
Analysis
The intellectual ‘cumbiera’ and the humble man communicated through dancing; part of their common culture, but in large sense they were worlds apart. The ‘cumbiera’ represents the value of academic knowledge and pride; while the humble man represents the value of just being in present moment.
This song shows the value
of both intellectualism
and humility,
yet it puts them in today’s
globalizing setting,
which lacks intercultural understanding.
The as a cultural hybrid, the intellectual is bringing foreign knowledge to a poorer town and is exposing new things that will eventually evolve parts of the culture. The humble man becomes exhausted listening to the academic “chatter”, but listens and admires the womans' confidence. On the other hand, the man happily observes ‘cumbiera’s’ body "breathing" when she would ‘just be’, it portrays an almost therapeutic feeling with imagery and sound.
Tilbury and Henderson's (2003) essay, 'Education for Intercultural Understanding in Australian Schools: A Review of its' Contribution to Education for a Sustainable Future' touches on the obstacles and solutions of encouraging intercultural understanding. The ultimate aim for education focused on intercultural understanding is to" equip students with the skills necessary to actively and meaningfully participate as a member of the global community (2003)". If the intellectual cumbiera would have been educated on all her academic knowledge in the context of cultural understanding she could have communicated better with the humble man she danced with. He would have likely learned a few things that would spark his curiosity and get him thinking.
Implementing intercultural understanding into the formal education sector could be done through analyzation of social issues from multiple perspectives in order to spark positive social change towards a sustainable future. Perhaps social status lines between the intellectual cumbiera and the humble man would begin to fade.
By analyzing social issues from multiple perspectives learning should progress along the path towards an intercultural understanding (see chart below). Since education builds the foundations of local, regional, national, and global zeitgeists, implementing such an element into education should set the long term culture up for engagement and integration rather then mere tolerance.
 |
| Intercultural Education Ladder (Tilbury & Henderson 2003) |
The chart above shows the gradual learning trend for different steps of realization beginning with education focusing on Intercultural Bias, Intercultural Incapacity, and Intercultural Blindness, and making its way to education focusing on Intercultural Respect, Intercultural Competence, and Intercultural Proficiency. A constraint to this learning process is that the education for intercultural understanding "exists in a dialectical relationship with the current political, economic and social environment (2003)." Therefore, in attempting to change current intercultural understanding, the conceptual contexts from the relationships that already exist within the community will inevitably be part of the education. However, this can be gradually over come by building the knowledge of each generation at local, regional, and national levels. Tilbury and Henderson (2003) also suggests that since the goal of education for intercultural understanding is to create "non-violent, just, and sustainable world community", certain key traits of this must be committed to.
Education for Intercultural Understanding must commit to:
Peace
Social Justice
Sustainable Development
Envisioning Futures
Social Critique
Social Change
Globalization
Critical Reflective Thinking
Active Learning Holistic Approaches
Values Clarification
Experiential Learning
Dialogue
Inquiry Learning
Critical Empowerment
& Intercultural Communication
___Cite___
Tilbury and Henderson 2003, ‘Education for Intercultural Understanding in Asutralian Schools: A Review of its Contribution to Education for a Sustainable Future’, Australian Journal of Environmental Education, Vol. 19, Pgs 81 – 95
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