A Reflection on the Spectrum of Multiculturalism in Our Society

In the postmodern society what we are exposed to are large multicultural ideals. These ideals are representing the new advances in technology in the postmodern period that allows the inter-change of information from one part of the world to another in a manner of seconds. Additionally these ideals are also representing the society we are in and the values that society places upon acceptance and understanding of things that are different. But this suggests that something then, is normal? Au (2009 pg. 10) states that, 

“Often times, whatever is white is treated as normal. So when teachers choose literature that they say will deal with a universal theme or story, like childhood, all the people in the stories are of European origin; it’s basically white culture and civilization. That culture is different from others, but it doesn’t get name as different. It gets named as normal.”

What notions of multiculturalism can be reinforced if people continue to perceive one culture as normal, and others as not, as representing something that strays from the norm? With this idea, we see one contradictory aspect of this entire ideal of multiculturalism in the class room. Though we may pursue such ideals, and indeed we should as the acceptance of multiculturalism and the reinforcement of it as such, allows people to understand each other and grow. However whilst we do pursue such ideals, we must be aware of the contradiction our society places upon us in terms of multiculturalism, and that is the conception of what is deemed the normal. 

Furthermore, we can see how great an impact multiculturalism may have on our society, as depicted by Peter Adler in an article (Link Below) that explores the many notions of multiculturalism in our society and education. Adler states that, “A new type of person whose orientation and view of the world profoundly transcends his or her indigenous culture is developing from the complex of social, political, economic, and educational interactions of our time.” Which is referring to the social context that we are now exposed to, and this notion is most clear when exploring it in the classroom. As it is in the post-modern class room, an individual is exposed to a plethora of different individuals from different cultures, as such it is the optimal environment to reinforce the idea of multiculturalism. Therefore we can see how great an impact education may have on multiculturalism and vice versa. 

This is elaborated when Adler places the idea of the, “multicultural person” as central to his argument and adds that this identity marker may encompass a new type of person that is, “fluid and mobile, more susceptible to change, more open to variation”, and so reinforces the positive connotations that lie with the ideal of multiculturalism. These ideals of openness and susceptibility to change are all fundamental aspects that a student should incorporate into his being to further his academic career, and so we see a clear link between how the idea of multiculturalism may impact the class room. This also means that those individuals are more likely to then accept the multitudes of identities within the large spectrum of social cultures and accordingly grow into individuals that perpetuate a drive for equality. As such, the exploration and understanding of multiculturalism in education allows for an understanding of how it affects education and how ideals of multiculturalism can become an integral part of education and society.

References:

Article: http://www.mediate.com/articles/adler3.cfm

Au, W. (Ed.). (2009). Rethinking multicultural education: Teaching for racial and cultural justice. Rethinking Schools.

Race, Richard. (2011). Multiculturalism and Education: Contemporary Issues in Education Studies. Continuum.