Culture and Identity
I have always been fascinated with the way cultures interact and especially intersect linguistically. Thus, one of the best parts of my job is meeting prospective students and their families, who hail from a wide range of diverse countries and cultures. For many of our prospective (and currently enrolled) students, they embody diversity in terms of cultural heritage and their personal journey thus far.
The IB Learner Profile: Open-minded states, “We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience”. I am acutely aware that for those in international schools working within international contexts, we see this as the most natural thing in the world. We have multiple opportunities throughout the day to formally and/or informally learn about the traditions and values of others. In addition, we are cultural chameleons adapting ourselves (in terms of language, body language and other behaviours) depending on with whom we are communicating.
Mindful that in the real world, understanding others is especially important during these challenging times, I have - rather than writing a narrative - curated a list of some resources pertaining to culture and identity and, as pertinent, added a brief summary/comment. Culture and identity is a huge topic and thus I have included resources (organized by medium, rather than topic per so) which seem most apt to those of us working in international schools and adhere to notions implicit in the above cited IB Learner Profile. Some of the resources are somewhat straight forward, others are most certainly more thought provoking. I have also concluded with some of my favourite quotes relating to culture and identity.
TED TALKS:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2009 Ted Talk, The Danger of A Single Story, centres on the notion that if we focus on a single story (rather than seeing the variety), we are likely to fall into stereotypical thinking and consequently misunderstand others. Thus, she implores us both to be aware of and reject the dangers therein of the single story.
Wade Davis’ 2003 TED Talk, Dreams from Endangered Cultures, is a wonderful overview of indigenous people. I appreciate his conclusion, “... that this world deserves to exist in a diverse way, that we can find a way to live in a truly multicultural, pluralistic world where all of the wisdom of all peoples can contribute to our collective well-being.”
Juan-Diego Estrada’s 2017 talk, Qualities of a Global Citizen, at TEDxYouth@AISR reiterates the importance of curiosity, wisdom, and compassion.
Rebecca Hwang’s 2018 TED Talk, The Power of Diversity in Myself, embodies such diversity which is typical within our school population.
Jamila Lyiscott’s 2014 TedSalon’s 3 Ways to Speak English, is a powerful spoken-word essay whereby she demonstrates being trilingual (thus code switching depending on the circumstances) and gives voice to her three languages.
Thandie Newton’s 2011 TED Talk, Embracing otherness, embracing myself, gives a very personal insight regarding identity. She reiterates, as someone straddling two cultures, her journey in finding her true self.
Michael Rain’s TED Talk, What it's Like to be the Child of Immigrants, concludes his talk with the line, “We're walking melting pots of culture ... If something in that pot smells new or different to you, don't turn up your nose. Ask us to share."
Taiye Selasi’s 2014 TED Talk, Don’t Ask Where I’m from, Ask Where I’m a Local, frames the notion of being a local through the concept of the three Rs ~ rituals, relationships, restrictions.
Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo’s 2017 TED Talk, What it takes to be racially literate, raises some important points with regards to difference, racial literacy and much more through examples.
ARTICLES:
Philip Andersson shares his thoughts about being “a hidden immigrant’ in his 2018 article, Looks Like a Duck, Quacks Like a Duck, but Not a Duck!
The BBC’s 2015 article, The beauty contest winner making Japan look at itself , focuses on the concept of “hafu” and contemporaneous discussions in Japan about what it means to be Japanese.
Kate Connoly’s 2016 article in The Guardian, Descendants of Jewish refugees seek German citizenship after Brexit vote, references the irony - in the words of its chairman, Michael Newman, with regard to the Association of Jewish Refugees being “... founded partly to help people become naturalised British after the war and, 70 years on, we find ourselves in the position of assisting people who want to acquire German and Austrian citizenship because of the recent developments in Britain.” (This is akin to the Spanish law recently enacted and referenced by Simon Romero, see below).
In Stephanie Fairyington’s 2018 article, Does Your DNA Really Make You Who You Are?, leading thinkers share their thoughts on what constitutes identity.
Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race, focusses on structural racism and the repercussions thereof. (audio version)
In Ndéla Faye’s 2016 The Guardian article, Am I rootless, or am I free? ‘Third culture kids’ like me make it up as we go along, she states, “Being rootless has given me a sense of freedom. I feel grateful for the experiences I’ve had, and I am proud to feel, above all, like a citizen of the world. The possibilities for the future are endless. The sense of being at home anywhere, yet feeling that home is nowhere, is part of who I am” sums up my hopes for my TCK teenager.
Ndéla Faye’s 2018 article, Dealing with Everyday Racism as a Black Mom with a White-Passing Son, details her experience of parenting and society’s perception.
Brook Larmer’s 2018 article, Naomi Osaka’s Breakthrough Game, written prior to her 2018 US Open win includes the following quote, “Ten to 20 years ago, we didn’t see many mixed-race athletes,” says Yoshitani of Kyodo News. “But I think Japan is changing slowly. It’s more international now. The older generation doesn’t change its habits or mentality. But the young generation has a different outlook.”
David Leo’s 2018 article, Much ado about cultural appropriation, states “A lesson for the divisive world is the Singapore success story of how the different cultural communities are receptive to celebrating each other's heritage as a nation – a true blend of multiculturism which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently reiterated as one of the intangible values that “hold us together as one people.””
Annalisa Merelli’s 2015 article, The cultural differences between East and West, according to one artist, is fascinating. It references Yang Liu’s book, East Meets West, in which she - through simple, yet effective, illustrations - highlights her experiences in China and Germany and the cultural differences thereof.
Doug Ota’s blog post, Blogging My Way Home, in which he discusses his heritage/identity.
John Pavlovitz’s 2017 post, 5 Truths About White Privilege for White People
Sorcha Pollak’s series, New to the Parish - focusses on new arrivals who have made Ireland their home
Simon Romero’s 2018 New York Times article, Some Hispanics With Jewish Roots Pursue an Exit Strategy: Emigrate to Spain (This is akin to the German law recently Kate Connoly cited in 2016, see above).
Jacob Templin’s 2016 article, Why a Korean baby born on Dec. 31 turns two years old the next day, explains why and how Koreans have two different ages.
Moises Velasquez-Manoff’s 2017 article in The New York Times, What Biracial People Know, draws on personal experience (“I can attest that being mixed makes it harder to fall back on the tribal identities that have guided so much of human history, and that are now resurgent. Your background pushes you to construct a worldview that transcends the tribal.” and “You’re also accustomed to the idea of having several selves, and of trying to forge them into something whole.”), research (“Living in another culture exercises the mind, researchers reason, forcing one to think more deeply about the world.”) and the positive impact on society (“The point is that diversity — of one’s own makeup, one’s experience, of groups of people solving problems, of cities and nations — is linked to economic prosperity, greater scientific prowess and a fairer judicial process. If human groups represent a series of brains networked together, the more dissimilar these brains are in terms of life experience, the better the “hivemind” may be at thinking around any given problem.”)
BOOKS:
Ahmed, K. (2018)
Yet to read, but great reviews.
Appiah, K. (2018)
Yet to read. Based on the reviews, this text appears to expand upon that which he shared in The Reith Lecture with regards to identity and the components thereof.
Bushong, L. (2013) Belonging Everywhere & Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile, an easy, succinct read with insights into supporting TCKs and other global nomads.
Crossman, T. (2016)
Another yet to read text.
Eddo-Lodge, R. (2017)
Controversial, somewhat because of the initial blog post in 2014. In the preface, she states, “Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power.” Inter alia, the book has a focus on the intersectionality of race and class.
Gardner, M. (2015)
Some interesting reflections on growing up within a missionary family overseas.
Hirsch, A. (2018)
Through the following eight themes, Where Are You From? Origins, Bodies, Heritage, Places, Class, The New Black, and The Door of No Return, she shares her personal reflection about “otherness” and finding oneself through insightful observations, academic research, interesting facts and anecdotes.
Meyer, E. (2014)
Centres on cultural relativity across eight concepts (communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing, and scheduling). The line, “Once I am aware of the cultural context that shapes a situation, what steps can I take to be more effective in dealing with it?” succinctly summarizes the intent of the book.
Noah, T. (2016)
A fascinating autobiography detailing, inter alia, how his being was an affront to apartheid South Africa, how his ability to speak a range of South African languages allowed him to survive and navigate between cultures, and his love and respect for his mother.
O’Shaughnessy, C. (2014)
Essentially aimed for middle schoolers, this is an easy, fun read. Peppered amongst anecdotes is good advice for TCKs including, “Remember that it is not you but your experiences that make it difficult for others to relate to you and you to others.”
Ota, D. (2014)
Mindful that “mobility across cultures can be one of the greatest catalysts that exist for learning and growth for all people involved, and not just for students”, Ota draws on his experience personally and professionally and sets forth practical strategies so as to not only manage the challenges therein, but to support the process. He states that, “International schools with any significant degree of turnover find themselves the stewards of families and young minds subject to postmodern forces most people never have to contend with.”
This text is especially useful for those working in international school settings. I especially appreciated his discussion in Chapter Three with regard to the transition cycle and visual depictions thereof. Chapter Six refers to American School of The Hague’s Safe Harbor programme and reiterates that the focus of the programme is to ensure, “.... every departing student leave the school well, and the school community takes leave of that particular student well.” I have frequently read about the importance of being able to leave well so as to be able to say hello well; I appreciate how by taking leave of the student, one acknowledges the community from which the student is transitioning.
Appendix A has messages in a bottle to various members of a school’s community to implore them to take on board the concept of safe passage so as to benefit all members of the school community in the here and now as well as beyond.
Pollak, S. (2018)
Yet to read the book, but have read many of the articles in The Irish Times and listened to associated podcasts.
Pollock, D.C. & Van Reken, R. E. (2010)
A primer on TCK.
Shukla, N. [Editor] (2016)
A collection of 21 personal narratives sharing experiences/hopes and exploring the notion of what it means to be BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) in modern Britain. I especially enjoyed reading My Name is My Name by Chimene Suleyman, Kieran Yates’ On Going Home, Airports and Auditions by Riz Ahmed, and Salena Godden’s Shade.
Tonges, K. et al (2013)
Recommended for children between three to twelve year olds. Great reviews, but yet to read.
Zilber, E. (2011)
Focusses on the very specific experiences of TCKs whose parents are educators. Appendix C includes Dr. Barder’s wisewords with regards to teaching a colleague’s child. This is especially important when considering that, “EdKids forge even tighter bonds with other educators, who actually function like a surrogate family for them since they are also friends and colleagues of the parents and tend to socialize and celebrate together.” and, additionally, “ATCKs witnessed some of the challenges their parents had in balancing their multiple roles as parents, educators and colleagues.” She also references that “Success in overseas assignments is directly correlated to the complete and successful adjustment amongst all members of a family, or conversely, failed assignments are often related to maladjustment of family members.”
PODCASTS/RADIO SHOWS:
The Fifth Floor - My name, my identity (2017)
Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s Ways to Change the World: Series 1, Episode 3: Reni Eddo-Lodge
Morning Edition - 'I Belonged Nowhere': A Story Of Displacement, From A Novelist Who Knows in which Hala Alyan talks about her background and the impact thereof in her novel Salt Houses.
The Reith Lectures (2017) ~ Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities. The individual lectures entitled Creed (from London), Country (from Glasgow), Colour (from Accra) and Culture (from New York) draw on an extremely wide range of global issues including, but not limited to, the three Abrahamic religions, gender equality, nationhood/national consciousness, economics, cosmopolitanism, philosophy, cultural/local affiliations, "otherness", The West/The Global South. During the first lecture, he reiterates - inter alia - the importance of , "...conversation across difference..." so as to extend our mutual understanding; Appiah does acknowledge, however, the reality (i.e. difficulty thereof) since people are most often entrenched in their individual belief systems. With regards to citizenship per the second lecture, he speaks of "... respect for the local and respect for the global ..." and this reminds me of Taiye Selasi 's TED Talk, Don't Ask me where I am from, ask where I am a local. In the penultimate lecture, he states that "... race is something we make; not something that makes us ..." and in Culture he dissects/interprets the notion of The West and its place in history as well as the here and now on both a local and more global perspective. Much of the lectures, both by title and content, are relevant for those interested in the interconnectedness amongst people in our ever shrinking global community.
Word of Mouth - Multicultural London English (2018) focusses on how London’s diversity is reflected in MLE.
Word of Mouth - Directions: North South East and West highlights how different ways of talking about directions in other languages demonstrate different ways of thinking.
The World in Words - The hardest question for a third culture kid: Where is home? focusses on the experiences of Karolina Chorvath growing up as a TCK and finding her identity.
WEBINARS:
El Aawar, N. (2018)
Focusses on the importance of cultural intelligence in the admissions office.
English, M. (2018)
Discusses best practices when sharing school curriculum to Chinese families.
Gosche, B. (2018) Immigration and the Classroom: How Global Fluency Can Help You Adapt to Your School's Changing Demographics
Gosche, B. (2018)
OTHER:
Anita Brady’s post,
Rachel Pieh-Jones’ website
Djibouti Jones has the tagline Life at the Crossroads of Faith and Culture and is one where life/TCK life in the Horn of Africa is a focus.
Marilyn Gardner’s website,
for articles on race, identity a
nd society
Chris O’Shaughnessy’s website,
Craig Storti’s website,
QUOTES:
“When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don't just turn it off one day.”
~ Chinua Achebe
“It is my fate to wander from place to place, and to adapt to new soils. I believe I will be able to do that because handfuls of Chilean soil are caught in my roots; I carry them with me always.”
~ Isabel Allende
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
~ Maya Angelou
“Culture is a way of coping with the world by defining it in detail.”
~ Malcolm Bradbury
“Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”
~ Cesar Chavez
"The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."
~ Paulo Coelho
“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
“A person without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
~ Marcus Garvey
“Cultures grow on the vine of tradition.”
~ Jonah Goldberg
“Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of.”
~ Ellen Goodman
“It is critically important that we turn our transmitters off, and turn our receivers on to better understand different cultures.”
~ Chuck Hagel
"Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself."
~ Mohsin Hamid
"The very notion of home is foreign to me as the state of foreignness is the closest thing I know to home”
~ Pico Iyer
“The place to which you feel the strongest attachment isn’t necessarily the country you’re tied to by blood or birth: it’s the place that allows you to become yourself. This place may not lie on any map.”
~ Jhumpa Lahiri
“When you learn something from people, or from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it.”
~ Yo-Yo Ma
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” ~ Jawaharlal Nehru
“People living amongst multiple cultures often have to process a wider variety of beliefs, values, and opinions in order to form their own view of the world.”
~ Christopher O'Shaughnessy
“To merely observe your culture without contributing to it seems very close to existing as a ghost.”
~ Chuck Palahniuk
“The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar experience”
~ David Pollock
“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore
I love the phrase, “living on the hyphen” (taken from “Living on the hyphen — balancing Japanese, American and Haitian cultures — is something Osaka has done all her life.”, from Naomi Osaka’s Breakthrough Game), which seems to sum up both in words and symbolically (a straight line connecting one part to the other) the reality of being someone living with multiple cultures as part of their identity.