A reflection of your own experiences of culture and identity in relation to education

My experience of culture and identity within education

 

 

“Simply put, culture shapes education, and education shapes culture.” (Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. 2007).

Culture and identity within education, to me, are intrinsically linked as culture can be seen as an instrumental aspect in establishing one’s identity. To me, identity refers to your sense of self and the defining characteristics that, in essence, develop who you are and how you are viewed within a society.

As “cultural beings” (Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. 2007), we attribute meaning to the world as a result of differing contexts, backgrounds, beliefs, and values that are inherently developed as a result of our culture. Therefore, our identity can be said to be a direct reflection of our cultural background and the beliefs and values that we develop within that which we re-establish to then form our identity.

My personal views toward culture and identity in education have recently changed when I began my studies at UNSW Sydney earlier this year. I was forced to relocate from a small coastal town four hours north of Sydney where there is very minimal cultural diversity. Both my primary school and my high-school were made up of predominantly white Anglo-Saxon students, like myself, which rendered my views of other cultures as somewhat narrow. Having little exposure to any kind of multiculturalism within my school in my younger years, my experience was broadened when I chose to study here at UNSW, an institution teeming with multiculturalism and students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Where here, everywhere you go and everywhere you look; you are never a far from an individual who comes from a completely different cultural background to your own.

Within the classroom, there is a swarm of activity and interaction between individuals from cultures across the world.  This in itself can influence the formation of our identities with our sheer exposure to these cultures. This exposure can allow us to meet others and learn about their cultural values, traditions, beliefs, and experiences and therefore, broaden our own understandings of culture. While “persons identify and empathize more easily with those with whom they have more in common with” (Phillips, 2006, p.3), I have found that if we are open to experiencing cultures different to our own, we are in fact able to identify with others from different backgrounds.

Phillips suggests that “all peoples have their own complex and internally coherent cultures” (Phillips, 2006, p.1) and I tend to agree. I believe that everything we do is essentially grounded around our own cultural context and what we know to be culturally correct and culturally accepted. In all cultures, there are established norms in which we are lead to believe that we must behave in certain ways and conduct ourselves according to our interpretation of what is customary within that context. The way we behave and the things that we choose to do and say then becomes a part of our cultural identity. It is this sense of self and identity that provides us with the assurance to act this way.

References:

Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice/cultural justice. London, UK: Routledge, 2006, pp.15-29

Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?