0066 (2010). PCEP has been designgieg as the body, together with the act 100°" tof Education (DepEd), taskeg to “formulate the cultural heritage pepo! on pO: ams both for local And overseas Filipinos" that are to be an eaued ‘ort of PhIHppINe education in qj its aspects. integ ' cultural education ond thus cultural literacy—in the Philippines is quite a challenge given thal omic Culture isa complex blend of many indigenous ond colonial cultures an oe across regions, and the average citizen samost OS ignorant o av er Philippine cuityres as foreigners are. To point out, consider the question, “What makes something or someone ‘Filipino'2” Ie average reader will be hard-pressed to pin down a definite answer, 2011) argues that this is in part due to a colonial mindset among teon ( es Filipino artists that inhibits the full development and realization of Filipino artistic creativity—a Kind of artistic and cultural creativity that is fully Filipino. pe Leon (2011) coins this propensity for Filipinos to look at their culture and themselves through Western lenses as the Doria Victorina Syndrome, a kind of inferiority complex wherein anything and everything natively Filipino is considered by the Filipinos themselves as being inferior, backward, and worthless in comparison to their Western counterparts, and therefore a source of embarrassment and unease. As De Leon puts if, our low self-esteem borders pt, the results of which are doubt in the Filipino capacity for ing ourselves, lack of respect and and blind dependence on foreign and expertise (2011). The biggest ative self- on self-contem| ochievement, perverse delight in belitfli even outright contempt for one another, concepts, techniques, approaches, according to him, is the deconstruction of the neg urselves that we have imbibed over generations cation that can make Filipinos and cultural goods, challenge then, images and notions of ot through “a workable, effective program of edu more responsive and sensitive to Filipino dignity, needs, values, Potentials and assets.” For De Leon, it is excellence i Fiipino—that can form the core of na seen, in the arts—via an expression that is truly tional unity. Of course, this remains to be Chatenges for Cultural Literacy in the Philppines interesting discussions on cultural literacy As Applebee (1987) observes. it 1 , Give rise to some ae vatcut questions which are particularly important to a tion like the Philippines. Multicultural and multilingual Na! . titute cultural literacy? Is it knowing Wh dge cons : mala at kinds of knowledge ething more experiential ike being fact: dates, or! s, names, and ular song? familiar with a story oF 0 partic nt thon taught,” should cultural literacy be ation? 'f yes, how does one teach * If culture is more “caug it? one of the goals of edue yapreR2 Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies | 19Whose cultures must we be literate in to bec . : cOnsidereg « literate"? Who decides which cultures a rae Cult re included q Ur are excluded, and on what bases? ee : rah hich one 's cultural literacy education simply a means for the doming t fo express its dominance over minority cultures? Nt Culture * — How is cultural literacy to be assessed and evaluated? How c know someone is “culturally literate"? ‘On We As of the writing of this book, no definitive answers to these questi é in the literature. eo Multicultural Literacy bc “he A ite mages (65 BY'SA2 Dip vecomencns eaihcensesy-s42 Of ‘ey SEAL_Teoams_One_and_Soven_NavOl_ Spec Goal Teams. $2_and_20_and. modes personnal szngnedto_Jont_Specal_Opeater 20 | Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum: cultures begin a a change as a result of globalization, conflicts oh arise overident ¥, ValUes, and worldviews. This situation consequently for a literacy tha’ enables us to Quickly and easily identify and resolve nficts, preferably before they even begin. Thi das multicultural literacy. ee g is has come to be inevital needs such OF understoo Multicultural Literacy as a set of skills and knowledge is difficult to define pecause of how it changes depending on the contexts in which itis discussed for example, multicultural literacy as defined in American literature is different from how it is deployed in a more European context. In America, multicultural literacy has very strong leanings 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 cultural 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 United States, nor the same amount of hostility. Nevertheless, the fact that the perceived need for multicultural literacy stems from a slighted sense of justice for “the other" (that is, any individual, group, or culture that another individual, group, or culture considers "not of 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 Dusi, Messetti, 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) definesit as “a 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 is more fitting for the Philippine context, even if the exact definition of what ICC consists of is still being hotly debated. For the purposes of this book, it would also be wise to include how justice contributes to the literacy: that is, there would be no discussion on multicultural literacy if not for the lack of justice in a multicultural discussion or discourse. We define multicultural literacy he’ as the knowledge ang skills necessary fo ensure that any communication wih a culture different from our own is Clear, productive, and respectful such that their differences are celebrated ‘and neither culture is demeaned oF tected as inferior. + under this definition, a “different culture” is just timi ‘, another country,” but could also include cae aioe "someone nomic Baekersital religious beliefs, sexual 'eone whose gender. ec . Orientation, or Bisa serge of fashion is different from our own. tt is important to realize tho! CHAPTER? Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural uteracies | 21The skills and knowledge [re are not mere language skills, quired for one to be multi-culturally literots since it is assumed that some medium of ween two cultures. Rather, true multicultura) communication already exists bet : : attitudes, and beliefs about other cultures literacy consists of persp that affect the manner in which communication. Here ar \b 22 ectives, . we communicate and the motives behind our @ some examples: ttitude of selflessness—one that is less concemeg concerned with how | am making others feel—is crucial to multicultural literacy, os so much of the offense and confict associated with the meeting of different cultures is the result of a “me first” ‘attitude: | should be accommodated, you should be the one to adjust to me, | should feel comfortable with you before 1 make efforts to make you feel comfortable, etc. Such selflessness is not instinctive to people, and is especially difficult when one feels insecure of oneself and identity. Know that good and useful things can (and do) come from those vreent rom us ~ Handin-hand with a dismissive attitude toward another culture is the idea that nothing good can come from them. Furthermore, there isa tendency to ignore or outright dismiss evidence to the contrary. 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. Be willing to compromise - Any significant interaction with someone from a different culture is governed by the principle of “He/She wants something, and | 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 accommodate what the other party is willing to give. Accept that there are limits - At some point however, one or both cultures will be unwiling/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 oF 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, Be selfless - An 2 with how | feel and more { Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the CurriculumA number of important issues stand in the way of Philippine educators attempting to learn multicultural literacy for themselves and teach it in turn to others, which are different from what can be found in Western literature, Particularly those of the United States. Conflicting Requirements for Peace When alll is said and done, the heart of multicultural literacy is peace ‘among different cultures—that is. productive and non-violent interaction. It is easy to assume that all cultures value Peace to the same degree and are therefore willing to make the same ‘compromises in order to attain it, but this is Not necessarily true. Palestinian conflict, which is really a conflict eace. but they do not desire it enough to ry real sense, both sides would rather live in Toke for example the Israeli/ ver territory: Both sides desire P' willing to compromise. In a Ve cuapTER? Globatzation and Cultural and Multcutual Lteracles | 23perpetual conflict with one another rather than give-up th which each side believes is rightfully theirs. Onamore personal, immediate front, |am reminded of an OCtivity a fey, teacher conducted in her class where she asked her students to write oo how they defined “peace.” One student revealingly wrote: "Peace is when get what | want.” er eit CHAI 0 the iy, ® lang Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback The increasing demand for multicultural sensitivity, inclusion, and diversity in the recent years has also given rise to resistance from groups who believe that their identity is being “watered-down” by the needed compromises, Case in point is the very recent proposal of “Ortograpiya ti Pagsasao nga llokano" by officials of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) in October of 2018. The proposal was met with intense backlash from group of llokano writers and language advocates over the “incompetence in preparing the llokano orthography that didn't conform with the existing orthography being used by the llokano writers and experts,” claiming that the proposed orthography was based on Tagalog and not llokano and that the commission's attempts to compel the regional language to conform to the standards of the Ortograpiyang Pambansa (National Orthography) would “destroy the identity of the llokano language” (Dumiao, 2018). In the ensuing online firestorm, one particular individual commented on how such regional pride is out of step with modernity, particularly with ourneed to be united as a country. Now this sentiment is consistent with the multicultural literacy of being able to put aside differences for the sake of a common goal, but notice how for the llokanos, national unity (as far as language is concemed} is not worth the cost of giving-up their ability to determine the orthography of their language for themselves. Such issues become even more complex and clouded when they come to a head with economics, social justice, and religion. What is to be done when accommodating the idiosyncrasies of another culture means decreased economic opportunities for other members of my culture? What about when we must decide between gender equality and retaining a venerable, historical insfitution like the Boy Scouts of the Philippines? What about if, for the soke of Peace, one culture must compromise on its religious values? We might hi that peace is worth it, but what if the other culture believes otherwise? __ We see here that while multicultural inclusiveness is by and large & an thing it comes at a cost. Part of the identity of the host culture becomes JI Gnd lost—the inevitable result of the compromises necessary for it fo i some form of multicultural understanding. In effect, pushing for multicultu' : 7 ne inclusion might very well be asking some cultures to decide which has mo Valve: Inclusion or Identity? 24 | Buicing and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculumwe must be aware that these questi that wants to be accommodated than the one that must do the ace ions are easier to answer for the culture | (because it will cost them nothing), rather ‘Ommodating. The Persistence of the Problem On the surface, multicultural literacy might seem to just be a matter of "good common sense," and understandably so, no one actively desires to experience discrimination regarding what they know and what they can and cannotdo simply on the basis of race, ethnicity, or in the case of the Philippines, region of origin. It therefore makes perfect sense to collectively refrain from such behavior under the assumption that “if you don't do it to me, | won't do it to you.” And yet, to our horror and shame, the practice persists. Worse, we sometimes find ourselves Participating in and justifying such discriminatory behavior—if only online and not in real life (as if anything written or posted online is not, in fact, in real life). Therefore, the primary issue that educators face in teaching multicultural literacy to their students and learning it for themselves is, “Why does this problem persist?" Or to put it in another way, "Despite all out advances in science, technology, and culture, why is this still a problem today?” Boutte (2008) suggests that issues of discrimination in alll its forms (racial, religious, tribal, cultural, etc.) are really issues of hatred, which she defines in an educational setting as “the lack of compassion and lack of respect for the tights of others," and that such hatred must be fought and its roots must be attacked, because for as long as hatred exists in the human mind, real peace will be impossible (Vreeland, 2001). If this is true, then it leads to some interesting questions: For one, what is the root of this hatred? Boutte (2008) suggests that, at least in an educational Context, such hate is often unintentional, but is usually the result of a lack of education. Now if a lack of education is to blame, then a lack of education in what, exactly? Is it awareness of the existence of those different from us? Is it awareness that those different from us are worthy of respect? The former is unlikely: Thanks to the Internet; we are very much aware of the existence of people and cultures that are fundamentally different from US, yet this has done nothing to mitigate the hatred that Boutte speaks of. The latter question is more promising, but presumes that something exists in all individuals—regardless of color, language. religion, education, social status, €tc.—that is worthy of respect. If this is 1U®, what is this something? How do you teach ite To date, no literature exists within academia that gives a definitive, Authoritative, and final answer to these Questions. CHAPTER 2 Globalization and Cultural and Multicuitural Literacies | 25,The Question of Value Anotherissue in teaching and learning multicultural literacyis bettér posited as a question: “Why should | treat people of another culture with respect?” It might seem that the answer to the question is a simple one: for peace. But as we have seen earlier, not everyone values peace to the same degree. Whatf, for a certain culture, itis easier to just destroy anyone who opposes them rather than expend the effort needed to come to a mutual understanding? Such statements might sound crass, but only if we believe that we, as a society, are above such things. How many times have we broken “small” laws and rules of etiquette—running red traffic lights “because no one is there to catch me," or asking a vendor at a flea market or tiangge to list a different price on the receipt than what an item is worth—because it is more convenient than to do otherwise? How many times have we been selfish in our decision-making, not thinking about, not caring about its implications for others? And how many times have we justified such behavior “because of the circumstances” oF “because everyone else is doing it"? In other words, “Why should | value another culture, another society: another person more than myself and my own?" If we subscribe to Dawkins (2016) concept of a "selfish gene"—where on a genetic level, the more wo individuals are genetically similar to one another, the more sense it makes to behave selflessly toward one another and selfishly toward others who ate different—then we can easily frame the issue of discrimination of cultural discrimination and injustice as one of both genetics and survival. This lia that the injustice you experience is necessary for my survival, and therefor ty in my best interests (genetic and otherwise) that | maintain the status qu‘ 26 — | Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculume it, as the case may be, tev written against such a mong caters like Freire (2000) have recognized aso admitted that when the oppressqn PECtve—and rightly so—but have inevitably become the new oppressor, ME WECM from their oppression, they If such perspectives seem horrib} ie cussion oline voile of Rare fo us (and they should), it is because culture, makes No sense without SUDScribj; one that is true and right for all oe) bing to some absolute Moral standard— : ©, regardless of race, color, or : ; , OF creed. But intoday's society where such absolutes Ore reduced to matters of Perspective, there remains no final and sensible answer to the question. Epheme A majority of research on Multicultural literacy stems from the West, specifically the United States, and focuses on teaching teachers to be more multicultural in their pedagogies. * Learn ‘about other cultures. Banks (1991) posits that the first step to teaching multiculturalism is knowing about cultures that are not your own. It follows that if you, the teacher, know only your own culture, then you will be unable to teach your students to appreciate a culture that is different from your own. * Familiarize yourself with how discrimination and prejudice appear in your own culture. Boutte (2008) and Banks (1991b) agree that teachers must be able to identify and confront patterns of discrimination and Prejudice in their own lives before they can teach their students to do * the same. For example, when someone you just met says he or she is from Mindanao, what words immediately come out of your mouth in fesponse? Do they express genuine acceptance, or do they betray some long-held preconceptions about people from the region? * Asyou are, so will you behave. Key to genuine multicultural literacy is Core values—that is, what you, the teacher, really believe about People who are different from You; not the kind of belief that you can just say you possess when talking to your Class, but the kind that determines your behavior when you think no one is watching. Simply put, if you do not truly beli¥® that those who are different have Value equal to your own, it will show. and your students will detect it. It will be Seen in the words you use, in the expression on your face, in the change of you behavior when you think no one can see, etc. The converse is also true: If you do believe others have value equal fo Your own, no matter their social class, ®ducational background, skin color, of fegional accent, it will show; and what ‘shown is what students will learn. CHAPTER 2 Slobalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies | 27.* Model more, tell more. Young students, by nature, will have difficuiy, in exercising empathy toward those who are different from them The ability is there, but it will naturally lack practice. It is therefore no: enough that teachers tell them to be more compassionate—you, the teacher, must model for them what empathy and compassion fo, others look like on a day-to-day basis. Wrap Up * — Globalizationis the process of interaction and integration between people, business entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and investment and supported by information technology. + Cultural Literacy is the knowledge and understanding of the life of a culture to the point where one can fluently participate in the activities of the said culture. This includes, but is not limited to. its languages, traditions, values beliefs, forms of entertainment, and worldviews. + Multicultural Literacy is 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 treated as inferior. * The skills and knowledge required to be multi-culturally literate are: 1. _ selflessness; 2. knowledge that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us; 3. willingness to compromise; 4. acceptance that there are limits; and 5. idea that we cannot be friends with everyone. + The issues in teaching and learning multicultural literacy in the Philippines are the nationalistic/regionalistic pushback, the persistence of the problem, and the question of value. Questions to Ponder Read the questions and instructions carefully. Write your answers on the space provided. 1 What makes a person Filipino? If a person has Filipino parents but is bon in another country, is he/she still a Filipino? What about if a person with 28 | Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum