Multicultural
education means to provide all students with knowledge, skills and values
needed to participate in our culturally diverse society. Students will
therefore have engagement in learning with positive social outcomes and future
generations will aim to have a intercultural understanding and harmony.
Curriculums are being amended to suit multicultural perspectives, such as the
topic of belonging in the current HSC. Students are able to express their
cultural statuses and experiences through creative writing, as Tovey (2013) provides an example ''[These students] live asylum seekers,
they live issues of Muslims in the community, so all of that is very real in
their world and they can find an outlet for that in their creative writing in
the English syllabus,'' she said."
How does culture and identity play a part in multiculturalism
and what are the issues? Dunn et al. (2010, p. 22) explains that for some
cultures, specifically indigenous people, "they remain a recognised
out-group that is often differentiated against in terms of their cultural
acceptability by most of the other citizens of that settler society".
Identity and culture has always been something that separates one from another
but the concept of multiculturalism "is an objective that concerns the
coexistence of different ethnic or cultural groups in one country (state).
Ethnic and cultural diversity in a society is usually the result of (colonial)
expansion, slavery or immigration" (Eldering 1996, p.315). Multiculturalism's
objective are both carried out and conflicting in Australia. People of
different races are successfully cooperating together in spaces such as
workplace and classrooms but racial prejudice and racism is constantly being
evoked indirectly or directly. As
Bernard Salt (2012) comments "customers are changing". The video does
not necessarily mention racial comments but it is suggested that 'white people'
have to live up to the (mostly negative) adjustments such as "paying more
rents". Two comments made on this video reflected on the two different
sides of multiculturalism. HyperIndian (November 2012) [This comment has received too many negative votes]
commented "
why does this pose as such a big deal? I'm a firm believer of
multiculturalism. I even grew up around people of different racial and cultural backgrounds and got along just fine as many of
them are still my friends. We're all human aren't we? Why do we have to rely on
the old and very racist ways?" and Catherine DeLancret (June 2013)
replied "Are White people supposed to support becoming minorities in the civilization they
built? Australia has always been diverse and multicultural. You mean
multiracial-ism. I guess it's racist for Whites to want to exist."
Table 1:
attitudes to old racisms, cultural diversity and recognition of racism amongst
indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. (Dunn et al. 2010, p. 25) (click to enlarge)
So what does this table and the comments tell us? People
don't hate different people because of their race. What they dislike is the
effects that come from immigration, such as dislocation, expenses and change in
society. Because of these dislikes, races are blamed and discriminated for the
changes. Education may be the starting
point to helping future communities accept multiculturalism. Some approaches
that schools may take is reinforcement for coexisting with different ethnic or
cultural groups, "underlying education with a disadvantage approach that pupils
from other ethnic/cultlure groups do not have" (Eldering 1996, p. 319),
having "ethnic/culture groups competent in two culture through bicultural
education. Education in the culture of the ethnic/culture groups aims at the preservation
of the cultures (e.g. language) concerned." (Eldering 1996, 321) or "emphas[is]
on the collective equality of groups or cultures rather than equity of
individuals." (Eldering 1996, 321). The objective is to make the existing
school system "more multicultural: not just the curriculum but also the
teaching methods, the staff and the representative bodies" (Eldering 1996,
321).
· * Bernard
Salt on Sunrise (21st June 2012). [SunriseOn7] The changing face of Australia
[Video file]. Published by Michael Pell. Retrieved 19th October 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnCclol1LM
· * Catherine
DeLancret (June 2013). Youtube comment/reply: "Are White people supposed to support becoming minorities in the civilization they
built? Australia has always been diverse and multicultural. You mean
multiracial-ism. I guess it's racist for Whites to want to exist." Retrieved 19th October 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnCclol1LM
· * Dunn,
K.M., Kamp, A., Shaw, W.S., Forrest, J. & Paradies, Y. (2010). Indigenous
Australians’
Attitudes Towards Multiculturalism, Cultural Diversity, ‘Race’
and
Racism, Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, 13(4), 19-31.
· * Eldering, L. (1996). Multiculturalism and multicultural
education in an international perspective. Anthropology \& Education Quarterly, 27 (3), pp. 315--330.
· * HyperIndian
(November 2012). Youtube comment: "
why does this pose as
such a big deal? I'm a firm believer of multiculturalism. I even grew up around
people of different racial and cultural
backgrounds and got along just fine as many of them are still my friends. We're
all human aren't we? Why do we have to rely on the old and very racist ways?"Retrieved 19th October 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnCclol1LM
· * Leaney,G.
(2013). Multicultural Education, Week 8a. EDST1104 Social Perspectives in
Education Lecture Notes. University of New South Wales.
· * Tovey,
J. (15th October 2013). Rich themes of cultural diversity in 'belonging' HSC
question. Sydney Morning Herald,
October 15th 2013. Retrieved 19th October 2013 from http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/rich-themes-of-cultural-diversity-in-belonging-hsc-question-20131014-2vixi.html
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