Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Josephine Diete-Spiff

Walden University

Diversity and Culture

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity

there is beauty and there is strength - Maya Angelou

Just as the natural environment depends on biodiversity, so the human environment depends on cultural diversity, because no one civilization encompasses all the spiritual, ethical, and artistic expressions of mankind. – Jonathan Sacks

There are different views and perceptions about diversity and culture. This presentation takes into cognizant the definition and views of others concerning culture and diversity. Thus, comparing these views to researched works studied in the class of perspective of diversity and equity, two friends and a family member interviewed and classified as A, B, and C. 

Others Definition of Culture

In the search for the meaning of culture from friends and family, the following came into fore. Friend “A” saw culture as a people’s way of living consisting of their attire, songs, folklore, myth, eating style, kinds of food, and their views about life. Friend “B,” says culture is a people’s language, habits, as seen in their marriage rites, music, method of eating, and beliefs. While family member “C” specifies culture as the expression of people’s beliefs. Stating further that these beliefs are recognized within their tribe and throughout generations. Equally, their behavioral patterns in the food they eat, method of consumption, marriage rites, their beliefs, and their customs uncover their culture. 

Others Definition of Diversity

Friend “A” defined diversity as the difference in people or kinds of assorted items. Such as differences in languages, ethnic groupings, and variety of goods brought together. Friend ‘B” denotes diversity to mean obvious distinctions among people that characterize their viewpoints, such as their religious beliefs, their mode of dressing, and their history. Whereas the family member describes diversity as the state of social differences seen in political affiliations, communal beliefs, historical inclinations, and professions.

Culture and Diversity Similarities Definitions

The definition of culture by friends and a family member has insights into researched works as studied in this course. These definitions of culture by the three of them relate to surface culture. Thus, surface culture stipulates the physical customs of a people expressed in their delicacies, habits, religious tendencies, rites, festivals, folklore, artworks, language, clothing, rituals, legends, traditional songs, riddles, and artifact of the people (Laureate Education (Producer)., 2011; Gonzalez-Mena, 2008; Goode, 2020).

Equally, friends and the family member definitions of diversity are similar to those studied in this course. Thus, agreeing with their postulation, Harris’s (2005) theory on OFD specifies diversity as a notion of all-inclusiveness. Diversity per Boutte (2008) is the differences in race, origin, culture, gender, dialect, class, belief, skill, and era.

Culture and Diversity Dissimilarities Definitions. The definitions from friends and the family member concerning culture is dissimilar to the research in varied ways. As study in this course showed culture as equally a profound deep culture below the surface. Per Kraft (1999), deep culture is the inherent conduct of a person or group in mannerism, attitudes, concepts, opinions, and inclinations, among others.

On diversity, the differences noticed in friends and the family member's definition with studied and researched works classifies diversity into three categories, such as demographics, experimental, and cognitive. Demographic specify sex, sexual inclinations, race, among others. Experimental denotes attractions, interests, and skills, while cognitive reveals people’s approach to problem-solving (De Anca, C. & Aragon, S. (2018). Likewise, diversity is seen as the inclusion of children, parents, and educators from diverse identities in the curriculum of the child, to encourage unity in diversity, bridging the gap between the home and the school and recognizing identities (Vandenbroeck, 2018).

Other Views Influence

The definitions proffered by friends and the family member were my initial view on diversity, while the study of this concept expanded my notion and broadened my knowledge on the subject. The views held by friends and the family member are the conventional view of culture and diversity. Therefore, the definitions given have not influenced my thoughts on diversity; rather, the class studies have greatly influenced my thoughts, imaginations, and understanding of the concepts of culture and diversity.

Conclusion

The terms culture and diversity relate because diversity is diverse cultures in practice. Culture as a way of life relates to the differences existing in the world today with different countries and continents. The early childhood educators must move beyond stereotype beliefs and view education as an inclusive strategy that requires the understanding of different cultures to harmonize our differences and embrace our similarities as one indivisible world, where people value each other. 

References

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice. Social Studies. 165-173. doi: 10.3200/TSSS.99.4

De Anca, C. & Aragon, S. (2018). The 3 types of diversity that shape our identities. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/topic/diversity.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in early care and education. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. (5) 8–13.

Goode, K. (2020). Deep culture. Definition and elements. Study.Com. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/deep-culture-definition-elements.html

Harris, S. R. (2008). What is family diversity? Objective and interpretive approaches. Journal of Family Issues, 29(11), 1407–1417.

Kraft, C. H. (1999). Culture, worldview, and contextualization. Perspectives on the world Christian movement, 3, 384-391.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Tseng, W. S., & Hsu, J. (2018). Culture and family: Problems and therapy. Routledge.

Vandenbroeck, M. (2018). Diversity in early childhood services. Childcare – early childhood education and care. Encyclopedia on early childhood development. Retrieved from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/textes-experts/en/857/diversity-in-early-childhood-services.pdf