Cultural knowledges
Are non-dominant cultural knowledges valued?
Cultures are valued when there is explicit valuing of their identity
represented in such things as beliefs, languages, practices, ways of knowing.
Valuing all cultural knowledges requires more than one culture being present,
and given status, within the curriculum. Cultural groups are distinguished
by social characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, race, religion, economic
status, or age. Thus, their valuing means legitimating these cultures for
all students, through the inclusion, recognition and transmission of this
cultural knowledge.
Devaluing of cultures is apparent when curriculum knowledge is constructed
and framed within a common set of cultural definitions, symbols, values, views
and qualities, thus attributing some higher status to it.
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No explicit recognition or valuing of other than the dominant culture
in curriculum knowledge transmitted to students.
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Stronger valuing in curriculum knowledge, by acknowledgment and recognition
of multiple cultural claims to knowledge, and perhaps some activity based
on an aspect of this, though still within the framework of a dominant
culture.
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Different cultures equally valued in all curriculum knowledge, such that
the concept of a dominant culture is excluded in both its content and
form.
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A year 11 Modern History class we observed was engaging with the issue of
'the stolen generation'. This class was largely made up of white Anglo middle-class
students.
The coverage of this topic is not mandated within the Queensland modern history
curriculum. The Queensland Modern History Syllabus lists a number of thematic
units which need to be covered during the course of two years. One of these
units is 'Imperialism and Racial Conflicts and Compromises'.
The teacher of this class situated 'the stolen generation' within this unit.
He commented that he saw understanding the issues around the stolen generation
as an essential component in the reconciliation process. During the course
of the lesson, he drew on a number of texts written by Aboriginal people,
including the Aboriginal singer/songwriter Archie Roach. The students discussed
a number of these texts and considered why saying 'sorry' is an important
and controversial issue within contemporary Australia.
NOTE: Linked closely with knowledge presented as problematic,
this dimension goes on to both recognise the social construction and hence
conflicting nature of knowledge, and explicitly value that knowledge associated
with sub-group cultures.
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