M7 – Multiculturalism

The underlying dynamics of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and other markers of individual identity are shaped by the particular culture one is raised in. Within a specific family, community, ethnic group and so on, children acquire their language, customs, values and conventions as they are transmitted from their environment and culture. This is to say that one’s development as a person and identity is formed by the central features of culture. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky is prominent is placing the role of cultural influences as formative to the development of the child. For Vygotsky, these come primarily by way of social interactions and communication among individuals such as parents and children, teachers and students, and so on (Derry, 2013).

The abundance of life. Detailed view of the gopuram (tower) at the entrance of the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore.

As children develop and are forming their beliefs and values, their prejudices and biases, it is in large part due to their exposure to the teachings and attitudes, modeling and behavior of the groups they live among and by which they are acculturated. These socially transmitted constructs become the frames, often unconsciously absorbed which shape their ideas and actions lived out through life. They in turn become the lens through which they view themselves, those like themselves as well as those who are “other” (Derry, 2013).

When one’s culturally provided package of beliefs as described above is narrow and limited, it is often the case that the resulting value judgments about others different from oneself can be negatively held depending on what messages the individual receives and is taught. This is potentially more often the case when an individual has little or no personal exposure to or experience with other peoples and their cultures. The value of a wide exposure to others different from oneself and to learning about cultural differences is that an appreciation for such differences and the opportunity for cultural exchange can take place. This is the benefit of fostering multicultural environments and educational approaches. Such trends have been introduced and fallen in and out of favor with different political trends (Derry, 2013).

In the West more recently, the winds of multiculturalism are trending down as nationalism and cultural exceptionalism gain the ascendancy in many countries. The exceptions here are countries like Canada and Switzerland where the accommodation of different cultures and languages is more widely supported and carries the force of law. The value ultimately in a world more connected technologically and by virtue of those who study, work and travel widely is that we see ourselves as members of a global village. We are united by common issues, concerns and challenges that require a global response, close ties of cooperation and mutual understanding of our varying differences. Those differences need not divide us as much as bring us together to work for solutions. A multicultural frame of reference and commitment to learning from and together with others of different cultural stories, histories and traditions enriches all involved (Woons, 2017). It makes us aware of the observation of anthropologist and ethnologist Clyde Kluckhohn and the truth of his generalization: “Every man (sic) is in certain respects, like all other men, like some other men, like no other man” (Kluckhohn, Murray, & Schneider, 1953, P.. 53). Truly, we are more alike than different, and on that basis can together create a more understanding and harmonious world.

M7 – Constructivism and Postmodernism

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) by Salvador Dalí,1936

The role of values, beliefs, and political leanings in shaping academic agendas, research programs, and the presentation of ideas and findings to the public raises another important topic in the history of Western ideas. The 20th century witnessed the catastrophic consequences of totalitarian political ideologies for whole nations and peoples. The Nazi belief in racial superiority and the Communist belief in absolute equality and the blank slate were each used to justify the murder of millions. Clearly ideas do matter, and politics can both motivate and manipulate ideas with devastating results.

These experiences have led to profound skepticism regarding the possibility of a truly objective and political neutral science of human behavior. The skeptics argue that wherever human beings are the object of study, values and politics are invariably present and will shape the questions asked, the investigative methods used, and the findings. They believe that just as various aspects of human behavior are socially constructed — for example, gender roles — that ideas and theories are similarly constructed to serve social and political ends. This new philosophical school of postmodernism holds that all knowledge is socially constructed and ideologically driven, and that the objective study of human beings is a dangerous myth used to obscure hidden political agendas (jDuignan, n.d.).

Critics of postmodernism, in turn, argue that such a position leads to an extreme in which all ideas are equal and therefore no advances in knowledge are really possible. Such critics, including Pinker (2018), argue that objective scientific inquiry is not only possible but also highly desirable since false knowledge will result in various illusions and errors regarding human nature. While such objectivity is always elusive in the human sciences, it is possible with proper attention to proper research methodologies and a sophisticated awareness of various sources of error and distortion (Pinker, 2018).