Cultural Authenticity and Ideological Underpinning

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Rudine Sims Bishop

Rudine Sims Bishop describes the definition of cultural authenticity in terms of three categories of African American literature viz. “social, physical, and cultural environment” (Bishop, 2003, p. 27). The author presents the “ideological underpinning” found in a non-political but can be used for political dissemination (2003, p. 28). For instance, a writer may choose to demonstrate the violent aspect of culture while another may choose to project destitution and poverty ingrained in it. Bishop (2003) further shows that the multicultural work in children’s literature is marked by the presence of “authenticating detail,” which the author believes is present in the storyline and is embedded in the dialect used for writing the dialogues (2003, p. 28). Bishop (2003) believes cultural authentication is necessary when an author writes about a different race. Hence, the author points out that white authors and illustrators have been reluctant to receive an appraisal of their work.

Bishop’s (2003) work presents a unique argument regarding the debate on the cultural authenticity of a literary work; however, the method employed by the author to distinguish the authentic and the non-authentic work is arbitrary. She insists that an outsider cannot possibly describe the pulse of the culture completely. However, if the person had lived through the event, the author’s cultural background will not have a severe impact on the author’s knowledge of the culture.

From the article, it is evident that incorporating multicultural work in the school curriculum is essential as this would provide exposure to different cultures and also help grow tolerance towards others. The article by Bishop (2003) mostly discusses African American literature such as Hallelujah! A Christmas Celebration was written by W. Nikola-Lisa and Shades of Black by Myles Pinkney.

Multiculturalism forms the crux of the cultural authentication of literary work debate. The article stresses the importance of cultural literacy among children, such that literature may expose children to culturally and racially diverse voices.

Different cultures in schools

The increased effort towards creating a curriculum that incorporates multicultural learning in the United States is due to the rising heterogeneity in the population. Schools today emphasize the incorporation of multicultural literary work in their curriculum such that students can relate and appreciate the cultural diversity of the United States. In my particular school district, the impact of multiculturalism on teaching is evident. Students are exposed to different cultures and their rituals to garner tolerance. The district schools are celebrating different cultures in schools.

The literature that is taught in schools refers to the different cultural point of view and hence, helps to expose the children to tolerant behavior. Events that show racial conflicts can be explained in a holistic manner through narrative voices representing different cultures. The school curriculum, therefore, has a multicultural breakdown that helps in the assimilation of the school’s teachings into a culturally tolerant curriculum. Cultural understanding will help in creating a non-xenophobic environment for the future. On a scale of 1 to 10, I believe I will rate myself 7 in terms of my comfort zone and knowledge of multicultural texts.

I believe multicultural texts can become an effective means of demonstrating the various narrative poles for a particular event and introducing children to the beliefs and customs of different cultures. For instance, a white writer will recount an event from one perspective, while an African American writer will perceive it from a different point of view. Incorporating these two varied perspectives in the curriculum creates an environment for students from various racial backgrounds to understand other cultures and encourages healthy learning.

Reference

Bishop, R. S. (2003). Reframing the debate about cultural authenticity. In D. L. Fox, & K. G. Short, Stories matter: The complexity of cultural realism in children’s literature (pp. 25-37). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

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