Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week’s assignment consisted on asking three people their definition of culture and diversity. The first person I asked was a friend in her late 30s. She defined culture in two words “The traditions”. She defined diversity as “differences- seeing things in a different way, different own point of view”. The second person that I asked was a nineteen-year-old college student. She defined culture as “your beliefs, where I come from- my origins, background, and ethnicity. She defined diversity as people that have different beliefs, background----- you know stuff is not the same”. The third person I asked was a man in his late 40s. He defined culture as “where you come from”. He defined diversity as” your race”.  

Some aspects of culture that I have studied in this course were included in their answers such as traditions, beliefs, origins, background, race and the way we live. Two people defined diversity as differences, but in different perspectives. One focused on the changing of one’s mind or perception while the other focused on the aspects of cultural diversity. The third person focused on the physical characteristics of diversity.

According to Derman-Sparks, & Edwards,

culture refer to how particular groups of people live. The way we eat, sleep, talk, play, care for the sick, relate to one another, think about work, arrange our kitchen, and remember the dead including the language we speak, religion or spiritually we do or do not practice, the clothing, housing, food, and rituals/holiday with which we feel most comfortable (2010).

Reflecting on their answers and expressions when ask this question regarding culture reminds me of myself when I began this course, and that many people are unconscious about deep culture and the things that really makes them tick focusing on the surface of culture and diversity.     

Reference

 Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.