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Identity in Education |
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Contents
1. Introduction
2. Cultural identity in the modern world
3. Cultural identity in educational system
4. The role of cultural identity in educational process
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Introduction
Nowadays, the problem of cultural identity should not be underestimated.
In fact, in the modern globalized world there is a strong
trend to losing national identity in the result of the amalgamation
of culture, or, to put it more precisely, in the result of
the growing impact of western culture on other culture of
the world. At the same time, individuals naturally cannot
live without identity. This is why willingly or not they develop
certain cultural identity under the impact of a variety of
internal and external factors that actually shape their personality.
In fact, individuals’ identity is inseparable from their
personality. Consequently, human relations are, to a significant
extent, predetermined by their cultural identity that effects
dramatically their communication. As a result, it is always
necessary to take into consideration the peculiarities of
cultural identity of each individual, especially in education
because modern education, being an extremely complicated process,
is based on the idea that each individual is unique and his/her
needs should be met in the process of education.
Cultural identity in the modern world
Before discussing cultural identity in the context of education,
it is primarily necessary to briefly dwell upon the concept
of cultural identity in the modern world. In fact, the modern
concept of cultural identity is based on two key elements,
notably modern identity implies being alike other people within
a group and common categorizing of outward phenomena, such
as race or clothes people wear . However, in recent year such
an attitude to identity is considered to be simplistic and
specialists insist that it should be expanded. Obviously,
such a definition of identity implies that cultural identity
is basically formed in the process of the development of individual,
i.e. it is acquired in the result of social relationships
of an individual with other people. In stark contrast, to
this position, there is an ultimately opposite view on cultural
identity as the product of human nature. To put it more precisely,
A.J. Ayer insists that “the general criteria of personal
identity may be solely physical in nature that means that
the idnividual’s identity is based on his/her physical
identity” .
Nowadays, such a view is widely criticized, and Baum for instance,
underlines that in the postmodern world identity is becoming
reconstructed and redefined and, what is more, “the
problem of identity is one of avoiding a fixed identity and
keeping our options open” . Nevertheless, regardless
the concept of ‘flexible’ cultural identity it
is necessary to underline that that it is still an integral
part of the individual’s personality. In actuality,
“we are neither only what we inherit nor only what we
acquire but, instead, stem from dynamic relationship between
what we inherit and what we acquire” . In this respect,
the ‘flexibility’ of cultural identity also implies
individual’s freedom which is actually based on what
an individual inherits and what he/she acquires .
Cultural identity in educational system
Obviously, cultural identity is of a paramount importance
and its role in education is particularly significant because
the individual’s identity is constantly developing and,
being submitted to changes, it can affect his/her personality
dramatically. At the same time, as cultural identity is shaped
in the result of relationships between people, than the education
process involves the interaction between people who have different
cultural identity, different social and economic background,
and whose views may vary significantly.
At the same time, it is important to underline that the cultural
identity of all agents of the education system, i.e. both
educators and learners, is equally important because they
constantly mutually influence each other. Also, it is worthy
of mention that cultural identity is affected by different
factors, including inherit and acquired ones. This is why
the cultural identity in the modern education system implies
the necessity of the development of such a relationship that
would provide the possibility to possibly fuller realize the
potential of each individual on the basis of his/her unique
cultural identity.
Unquestionably, cultural identity is partially inherited since
it is quite natural that an individual acquires certain stereotypes,
norms and models of behavior from his/her parents and in the
course of times such similarity of a child and parents are
growing stronger as the child learns more from his/her parents
and develops his/her cultural identity. In fact, in such a
situation, a child inherits not just traditions and experience
of his/her parents but also traditions and experience of the
whole people, or culture, and naturally acquires the experience
of this culture that has been accumulating for decades and
centuries.
Furthermore, cultural identity is, to a significant extent,
predetermined by social position of the individual and his/her
social background. As a result, it is possible to estimate
that cultural inheritances of an individual which he/she receives
from his/her family, interact with social reality and position
of the individual in the community. Consequently, “it
is in these cultural inheritances that much of our identity
is constituted and is thus marked by the social class to which
we belong” .
Also, it should be said that the development of cultural identity
occurs in the process of education. It is important to realize
that human beings are conscious of the fact that they are
affected by their cultural identity and the effects of their
social environment that creates opportunities to “overcome
the strength of cultural inheritance” that can occur
in the process of education. As a result, it is possible to
say that cultural identity can be changed and this change
can occur in the process of education.
Moreover, to a significant extent, cultural identity is shaped
in the process of learning that is a natural process for human
beings who are simply programmed to learn. As a result, in
the process of learning individuals create their own historical
and cultural worlds, which “are our products, and …
we become animals who are permanent inscribed in a process
of learning and seeking” .
The role of cultural identity in educational process
Obviously, as the cultural identity is extremely important
in the educational process, it is quite natural that it is
necessary to provide individuals with the opportunity to have
freedom in the development of their identity. What is more,
their own cultural identity should not be by no means discriminated
or simply ignored. In stark contrast, in the modern really
democratic school, it is necessary to provide all students
from different socio-cultural background with equal opportunities.
However, in the current situation, it is quite difficult to
do because the problem of equal opportunities is extremely
serious and not often the cultural aspect is taken into consideration
when educators attempt to solve this problem. To put it more
precisely, it should be said that different students have
different cultural identity. At the same time, there exist
the dominant class in the society which plays the primary
role in the socio-economic life of society and tend to dominate
in the cultural sphere. Naturally, such relations are extrapolated
on schools as well. As a result, nowadays, there exist private
schools where basically student from upper classes study and
there are public schools where students from lower classes
prevail . Naturally, in such a situation the teacher-student
relationship may be affected dramatically. For instance, teachers
representing the middle class could feel inferior to the upper
class students in private schools and, in contrast, feel superior
in public schools in relation to lower class students.
Obviously, such attitudes are totally unacceptable for progressive
educators. This is why it is extremely important to develop
normal relationship with students with different cultural
identity and treat them objectively avoiding revengeful attitude
to upper class students or scornful attitude to lower class
students.
In fact, it is necessary to take into consideration the cultural
identity of students and stimulate the development of the
conscious and objective position of students in relation to
their self-esteem and, thus, change their cultural identity
making it more objective. Practically, it means that working
with lower class students it is necessary to stimulate their
self esteem and make them feel respectful to their own cultural
identity. It is not a secret that often the overwhelming majority
of students in public schools represent lower class families.
Consequently, as the experience shows, their self esteem is
quite low and they do not really believe that they can play
any important role in the society. In fact, often they feel
as if they are outcasts and, as some students believe, if
they disappeared, no one would have even noticed their disappearance.
In this respect, it is particularly dangerous when teachers
ignore their social background and cultural identity since
often such students have very peculiar semantics, accents
and syntax which do not correspond to the norms of standard
language used in the modern education. As a result, the students
from lower classes risk of being academically less successful
than students from the middle and upper classes and, as a
rule, they actually are.
On searching possible solutions of such a situation, it is
possible to recommend referring to the cultural identity of
students that will help better understand their personality
and reveal their real skills and abilities. To put it more
precisely, they should have a chance to realize their skills
and abilities regardless the linguistic specificity. It means
that they may use different terms and language to explain
different phenomena but they may be correct.
Furthermore, in order to improve the position of lower class
students with cultural identity which may be characterized
as that of outcasts, it is possible to recommend the improvement
of the current education policy which actually leads to segregation
of public schools for in some scools the percentage of non-white
students is reaching 100%, while white students from upper
classes often turn to be in a privileged position studying
at private schools, for instance.
Conclusion
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible
to conclude that nowadays the cultural identity is extremely
important and affects the educational process dramatically.
It is necessary to underline that in the current situation
cultural identity cannot remain fixed, especially in the sphere
of education but, instead, should be constantly modified in
order to make students conscious of their own cultural identity
and that it is not always an objective concept. Moreover,
one of the major tasks of progressive educators is to treat
students equally and objectively, taking into consideration
their cultural identity. What is more, teachers possess certain
authority in education process, consequently, they should
use it properly in order to avoid revengeful or scornful attitude
to students. At the same time, in relation to lower class
students, teachers could change the cultural identity of such
students for better and improve their self-esteem.
Bibliography:
1. Bauman, Z. Modernity and Ambivalence. Ithaka, New York:
Cornell University Press, 1991.
2. Chriss, J. “Looking Back on Goffman: The Excavation
Continues.” Human Studies, No. 16, 1993.
3. Cultural Identity and Education
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