CULTURAL

SENSITIVITY

Dr. Tirmizy E. Abdullah, Mindanao State University

What is Cultural Sensitivity?

Culture
(Tylor) that complex whole which include
knowledge, beliefs, arts, law, moral, customs
and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as member of society.
Sensitivity
 The state or quality of being sensitive.
 To increase individual awareness of self and others’ needs
and emotions so mutual trust can be developed, increase in
interpersonal communication and eventual change of
attitudes for improved relations.
Therefore, Cultural Sensitivity is..

 Knowing that cultural differences as well as

similarities exist, without assigning values, i.e., better
or worse, right or wrong, to those cultural
differences.

 The Concept of Cultural Relativity. (the norms, values,

beliefs and practices of a person should be understood based
on that person own culture)

 Being aware that cultural differences and similarities

exist and have an effect on values, learning, and
behavior.
Therefore, the secret to being
culturally sensitive is to know
the “others” ways of life or
“cultures”.
Meranao social etiquettes
 No touch as a general law
 No shaking of hands with the opposite sex
 Beso-beso for same sex only. Muslim men
with their own style.
 No sharing of umbrella on rainy days
 No public display of affection (e.g. Kissing,
hugging, “akbay” and the like)
 Seating side-by-side (male female) during
group work
 Giggling or boisterous laughing on the
streets
 Dont enter a house when no adult male is
around.
 Don’t use a route where there is a chance
to see “forbidden sight.”
 Avoidnoise when the call to prayer is
being recited and during prayers that
may last for 5 to 10 minutes.
Dress code: We are in a Muslim area where the code of dressing is different.

 Avoid wearing inappropriate clothes

like mini skirts, short pants, tight fitting
clothes or those that tend to expose
“private parts.”
 When visiting a mosque, women will
be required to wear headscarves and
shoes must be removed. Other
requirement might be imposed by
mosque administrators.
 For the third sex, avoid revealing your
identity by wearing women accessories
and make-ups in public places. A
 Do not invite Muslim female friends to
perform un-called for performances
such as dancing with male partners as
these are forbidden
Food code

 Avoid eating or serving pork when

Muslim friends are around.
 During Ramadan, avoid eating in public
view from sunrise to sunset.
 Do not invite or offer food to a Muslim
friend during Ramadan even if it is
meant as a joke.
 Intoxicating drinks are also prohibited.
Please drink privately in your homes or
cottages.
 Why do we view an
ISSUE or a SITUATION
differently?
Creators of our differences

Individually, each of us has

 Unique history, character and
personality brought about by our
inborn qualities and those that we
acquire as we grow and
participate in the larger society.
Inborn qualities

We were born:
 - in a geographical environment
 - either as male, female or
otherwise
 - into a particular family, tribe, race
 - into a way of life (culture) and
religion that mold our own social
norms and value system that guide
our thinking and behavior
Acquired differences
 Inaddition, as we grow and
participate in the activities of the
larger society, we will differ again
on:
▪ status
▪ power
▪ wealth
▪ age
 These social norms and values plus
acquired differences, motivate us
to take certain actions and to reject
other. Thus, it is not surprising to
notice, therefore, that when we
interact and work with others, we
often discover that we have
different perspectives on many
things.
 Ascribed Status
(Natural Differences)

ISSUES/SITUATIONS

Achieved Status
(Acquired Differences)
One of the major problem in our
relations are the NEGATIVE IMAGES
created in our conscious and sub-
conscious minds by the colonizers,
reiforced by long history of deceit,
manipulation and wars.
This then leads us to mutual distrust,
prejudice, biases, discrimination and
stereotyping
 Prejudice – negative attitudes about
members of other cultural/ethnic groups.
 Biases – settled and often prejudiced outlook
towards other peoples/ethnic groups
 Discrimination – unjust or prejudicial
treatment of categories of people especially
on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion,
age, sex and others
 Stereotyping – overgeneralization
associated with certain ethnic groups that
goes beyond existing evidences.
Advices to attain cultural sensitivity.

 Re-check your existing prejudices,

biases, discriminatory and stereotyping
attitudes/behavior. Reverse them if
possible.
 Avoid ethnocentric tendencies or the
belief that your own culture (values,
beliefs, behavior, customs and
traditions) is superior to others.
 Continue to learn the culture of the host
community that may include the
language, as well as the cultures of
your other colleagues and friends.
 Dialogue with them by discussing your
cultural similarities. Differences can be
discussed when close association is
developed.
Embrace multiculturalism?

 Multiculturalism - relating to, reflecting, or adapted

to diverse culture.
 affirming diversity or respect for cultural diversity.
 Multiculturalism is opposed to “ethnocentrism.”
 In the field of education, any intervention that
purports to respect for cultural diversity could
legitimately claim to represent “multicultural
education”
Obstacle to multiculturalism.
 Multiculturalism is opposed to the
traditional “integration or assimilation”
function of schools.
 But we can propose new meaning of
“integration.”
The minority groups are fully integrated
in the mainstream society when all the
biases, prejudices and discriminations
against them are fully eradicated
How to become multiculturalist
 To learn more by reading and being involved
in activities that emphasize pluralism.
 To confront or eradicate our racism, biases,
prejudices, discriminating behaviour like
stereotyping and negative profiling of other
groups.
 Learn to see reality from a variety of
perspective. (Example: We are one people before
the arrival of Islam and Christianity)
Racial prejudice and discrimination can be dysfunctional to
society (Arnold Rose, 1951)

 A society that practices discrimination fails

to use the resources of all individuals.
Discrimination limits the search for talent
and leadership to the dominant group.
 Discrimination aggravates social problems
such as poverty, delinquency, and crime
and places the financial burden to alleviate
these problems on the dominant group.
Thank you
and
Wassalam