Scribd
Upload
5 views

multiculturalLiteracy

Multicultural literacy is defined as the knowledge and skills needed for clear, respectful communication across diverse cultures, extending beyond nationality to include various social identities. In the U.S., it addresses racial injustices and promotes equality, while in Europe, it emphasizes intercultural communication competence. Essential skills for multicultural literacy include selflessness, recognition of value in diverse cultures, willingness to compromise, and acceptance of limits in interactions.

Uploaded by

neneboonene25
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views

multiculturalLiteracy

Multicultural literacy is defined as the knowledge and skills needed for clear, respectful communication across diverse cultures, extending beyond nationality to include various social identities. In the U.S., it addresses racial injustices and promotes equality, while in Europe, it emphasizes intercultural communication competence. Essential skills for multicultural literacy include selflessness, recognition of value in diverse cultures, willingness to compromise, and acceptance of limits in interactions.

Uploaded by

neneboonene25
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 21

Multicultural Literacy

Reporter: Christina Marie Dianon


WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL
LITERACY?
• We define multicultural literacy as the
knowledge and skills necessary to ensure
that any communication with a culture
different from our own is clear, productive,
and respectful such that their differences
are celebrated and neither culture is
demeaned or threated as inferior.
• It is important to realize that under this
definition, “different culture” is not just
limited to “someone from another country,”
but could also include someone whose
gender, economic background, religious
beliefs, sexual orientation, or even sense of
fashion is different from our own
• In America, multicultural literacy has
very strong learnings toward knowing
or identifying the poly ethnic origins of
knowledge with the express goal of
fostering equality, diversity, and social
justice.
This is in direct response to the “Euro-
centric” and “white-dominant” traditions of
education that in the eyes of American
cultures minorities (particularly the blacks) is
a form of racial injustice. This is very foreign
to the Philippine context, which,, despite
having our own deeply ingrained traditions of
discrimination, does not have the same
issues of discrimination as in the U.S, nor the
same amount of hostility.
• Nevertheless, the perceived need for
multicultural literacy stems from a slighted
sense of justice for the “the other” ( that is.
any individual, group, or culture that
another individual, group or culture
considers “not us,” for any reason) cannot
be ignored in our attempts to pin down a
functional definition of multicultural
literacy for ourselves.
• Meanwhile, in Europe, multicultural literacy
comes more in the form of intercultural
communication competence (ICC), which is
defined by Dussi Messeti and Steinbach
(2014) as a composite of skills, abilities,
attitudes, personality patterns, etc.
necessary for clear and productive
communication with cultures other than our
own.
• Similarly, Fantini (2006) defines is as
“complex of abilities needed to perform
effectively and appropriately when
interacting with others who are linguistically
and culturally different from oneself”.
• Clearly the broader and more
magnanimous European definition of
multicultural literacy are more fitting for
the Philippines context, event if the exact
definition of what ICC consists of is still
being hotly debated.
The skills and knowledge required for one to be
culturally literate are not mere language skills,
since it is assumed that some medium of
communication already exists between two
cultures. Rather, true multicultural literacy
consists of perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs
about other cultures that affect the manner in
which we communicate and the motives
behind our communications.
Some examples:
1.Be selfless- An attitude of
selflessness-that is less concerned with
how i feel and more concerned with
how i am making others feel.
2. Know that good and useful things can
(and do) come others those different
from us-Simply acknowledging that good
ideas and products have come from cultures
we might not like goes a long way in
preparing our minds to perceive them as
being equally valuable.
3. Be willing to compromise- Any
significant interaction with someone from a
different culture is governed by the principle
of “He/She wants something, and i want
something.” In other words, cultures do not
interact out of pure magnanimity. If both of
you are willing to give the other what they
want, well and good.
But what happens when one or both are
unwilling to give what the other wants? There
must be a compromise: a reciprocal
adjustment of demands and expectations to
accomodate what the other party is willing to
give.
4. Accept that there limits- At some point
however, one or both cultures will be
unwilling/ unable to adjust their wants for the
sake of the other any further. Beyond this
point, the productivity of the interaction drops
and one must either change the purpose of
the interaction or walk away, accepting that
what you want cannot be had from that
particular source.
Attempting to force the other party to
adjust (when you refuse to do the
same) only results in
misunderstanding, hurt, and conflict.
The sooner we accept this, the sooner
we can set realistic expectations of
one another.
THANK YOU

You might also like