Culture and Diversity: 3 Perspectives

I spoke with 3 friends, and asked them to share their definitions of culture and of diversity.  One friend, Topi, grew up in Finland, another friend, Monika, grew up in what was formerly East Germany, and my third friend, Tracey, grew up here in the U.S.  All three currently live in the U.S.

I asked each person to define culture.  Topi defined culture as the environment in which one lives.  Culture includes the physical environment (In Topi's case, Finland, which has a significant affect on the culture of the people), how people adapt to that environment, and how that influences the way people think about what they perceive.  Monika agreed with this definition and added that culture changes over time given influences for example from other cultures.  Monika remembers well when the former Soviet Union controlled much of what went on in East Germany.  She also remembers well, when in 1989 the Berlin Wall came down and reunification was enacted.  Monika stressed that a single geographical place can undergo drastic cultural changes over a given period f time.  Tracey, defined culture as the social aspects of a society.

I also asked each person to define diversity.  Topi defined diversity as basically what we have in the U.S.  He said that diversity makes life "interesting".  Topi also said that in Finland there is very little diversity, although it is changing.  Many Finns he said, are rather "closed-minded" in their willingness to appreciate other cultures, within their own country.  Like Topi, Monika stated that social diversity is what exists in the U.S.  By comparison she said that Germany is not diverse.  Monika shared a conversation she had with her father recently when she went back to Germany to visit.  They were talking about the non-German ethnic groups that were entering Germany.  Monika's father stated that if people from other countries want to come to Germany, than it is up to them to assimilate to German culture- that they have chosen to give up their own cultures in coming to Germany.  Monika then said, that as a German living in the U.S., she would greatly resent being asked to give up her German culture in order to live in the U.S.  She stressed that she and her husband Topi are in the U.S. in part because of the openness and social diversification of the country.  Tracey defined social diversification as the integration of cultures.

We have learned that social diversification is a strength.  Both Topi and Monika reflect this point of view as Monika stresses that one of the major reasons they came to the U.S. was for the cultural diversification.

The people I spoke with about the topics of culture and diversification are parents of children I have had in my class.  It is typical for teachers and families in Montessori school to form strong friendships as the children remain in the same class for 3 years.  Therefore connections often last well beyond the time that their children move on from preschool. The discussions we have had regarding culture and diversity have, to a point, confirmed and reinforced the lessons I learned about diversity and culture when I taught in South Central Los Angeles.  Immigrants to the U.S. need to be considered one family at a time.  People have different reasons for immigrating to the U.S. and it is critical that as Early childhood professions we understand as much as possible the unique reasons for the families move to the U.S., because the reasons for immigration provide meaning for the needs/desires/wishes families have for themselves and their children once in the U.S.