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A key concept: Cultural humility
While intercultural skills are often discussed in terms of cultural competence, cultural humility is another way of describing the skills needed to work effectively in diverse cultures. Cultural humility is a lifelong learning journey that involves reflection, ongoing self-evaluation of one’s intercultural attitudes and interactions, and commitment to questioning structures that create power imbalances. [1]. In many ways, the factor that leads students into exploring other perspectives is our own humility and our own willingness to continue learning, growing, and exploring. Similarly, openness, which encompasses a willingness to learn from people of other cultures, is a foundational attitude for personal intercultural development.[2]
The video below further explains cultural humility, and demonstrates how this way of being can lead to understanding other perspectives and stories.
Video Highlights
- Narrative humility is a philosophy of listening that supports us in cross-cultural interactions.
- When intercultural competence is reduced to learning characteristics about cultural groups, it can create stereotypes and actually reduce intercultural competence.
- Some intercultural educators have suggested that we consider cultural humility rather than cultural competence as our paradigm.
- Cultural and narrative humility teach us to reflect on our own beliefs and expectations, while considering that every person has a unique story to which we should listen.[3]
Modelling and encouraging perspective taking
A mindset of cultural humility provides a foundation for modelling empathetic perspective taking. Stepping out of the role of “classroom expert” can help us to present ourselves as co-learners, willing to learn from the perspectives of our students’, of classroom guests different from ourselves, and from concepts outside of our own cultural frameworks.
What else contributes to the development of perspective taking skills in students? Self-awareness and participation in discussions on social issues are two factors that contribute to higher perspective taking skills in post-secondary students. [4]. Additionally, intentionally integrating perspectives from Indigenous and non-Western frameworks into learning activities supports perspective taking.[5] The process of embedding content from diverse perspectives into the classroom will be explored further in a later chapter.
Classroom Exercises that Introduce Perspective Taking
Exercise 1: Maps and Perspective Taking
This activity demonstrates the way the images we are exposed to colour our perception of the world. In this exercise, students review three world maps, and then reflect on how these maps have shaped their thinking. This exercise is a relatively low-risk way to introduce the idea of exploring concepts from multiple perspectives.
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After comparing the three maps, use debrief questions such as:
- Which image of the world is most familiar to you? Why do you think this is?
- Before this exercise, did you believe that maps were objective or subjective? Why do you think this is?
- What perspectives do you think influence each of the three maps?
- Were there any other maps that you commonly saw during your school years? What did these maps lead you to believe about the geographic location of your country?
- How do maps shape our perception of the world and our place in it?
- Has your perspective of the world changed through this activity? How so?
Exercise 2: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often presented in the context of introductory psychology courses. A little-known fact is that Maslow took this idea (without attribution) from Blackfoot thought[6]. However, the hierarchy was both secularized and adjusted to fit Western ideals about the role of the individual.
In the image below, compare the Blackfoot view of human needs (top) with Maslow’s Hierarchy (bottom)[7]
- Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233 ↵
- Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002 ↵
- LACF Mentoring. (2018, October 17). Cultural and narrative humility. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY7hTtLg14g ↵
- Johnson, M. R., Dugan, J. P., & Soria, K. M. (2017). “Try to see it my way”: what influences social perspective taking among college students? Journal of College Student Development, 58(7), 1035–1054. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0082 ↵
- Haigh, M. (2009). Fostering cross-cultural empathy with non-western curricular structures. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 271–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315308329791 ↵
- Blackstock, C. (2014). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (informed by Blackfoot Nation (Alberta). Retrieved from https://lincolnmichel.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/maslows-hierarchy-connected-to-blackfoot-beliefs/ ↵
- Adapted from: Blackstock, C. (2014). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (informed by Blackfoot Nation (Alberta). Retrieved from https://lincolnmichel.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/maslows-hierarchy-connected-to-blackfoot-beliefs/ ↵
