It seems the insider vs. outsider debate has been raging in the world of children’s literature for quite some time. The first bit of research I did on this topic included looking up the definitions of “insider” and “outsider.” The best plausible definition for insider I found was “a person belonging to a limited circle of persons who understand the actual facts in a situation or share private knowledge” (dictionary.com) while a supposed outsider was “a person unconnected or unacquainted with the matter in question” (dictionary.com). Therefore, it would seem an insider would need direct and unrestricted access to a culture to be considered an insider. With this in mind I feel it would be incredibly rare for an outsider to completely and accurately portray the characteristics of an unfamiliar culture.
I drew from the ideas of two important authors’ in the debate over multicultural literature when determining my stance on the insider/outsider issue. First, in Rudine Sims Bishop's article, A Reply to Shannon the Canon, she states; "you have to know a culture intimately if you're going to reflect it accurately in your fiction" (p 6). From this viewpoint it seems only a personally involved individual could truly write accurate children’s diversity literature. To me, only someone considered an insider of the culture could be attributed as intimately involved with the culture. Next, Violet Harris also explains in her article No Invitation Required to Share Multicultural Literature; "I selected the authors because they are experts in literacy and/or children's literature; they are informed about the group's literature; and they possess the critical consciousness that enabled them to assess the literature in a forthright manner" (p 11). The words “critical consciousness” leads me to conclude the person in question understands and is completely involved within a certain culture. Therefore, these authors were chosen because they could from the definition of insider given above be considered insiders to the specific culture they were writing about. Consequently, with all these ideas in mind, I believe it is incredibly difficult, if not nearly impossible, to accurately write as an outsider about an unfamiliar culture. To put it simply, only an insider can completely write accurate and respectful literature about his or her own culture.
Some questions on this topic include:
How have others defined an "insider" to a culture? What about an "outsider"?
If outsiders completely immerse themselves with a certain culture, can they then be considered insiders?
Can an outsider be considered an expert in another culture?
How is this issue connected to the debate over what constitutes multicultural literature?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Stereotypes and The Heart of a Chief
Hello all, hope everything is well in the world of Children's Literature! This week our class discussion and book The Heart of a Chief by Joseph Bruchac focused on a young Indian boy struggling with stereotypes involving his Native American culture and heritage. The book mainly dealt with the main Character's struggle with a stereotypical Indian school mascot and a battle over putting a Casino on Indian land.
The first thing that came to my mind when we began this discussion was a memory of growing up playing "Cowboys and Indians"! My older brother and I never gave a second thought to a seemingly innocent game that turns out to be incredibly disrespectful! I also pondered the implications of Central Michigan University having an Indian mascot! I have some good friends attending that university and have on several occassions attended sporting events involving their Indian mascot, a Chippewa Indian! At the time, I did not realize how dehumanizing this display of mockery was to Native Americans. Now, after our class discussion and watching the video about sports mascots, I have completely changed my beliefs about Indian mascots. I realize how incredibly hurtful mascots used for entertainment can be to the insider culture.
I would also like to discuss a disturbing event that occured in my field placement classroom Wednesday morning. During morning activities, I came upon two second grade students intensely arguing. I overheard the first student declaring himself an American Indian. The second student shouted back that the first student could not be an Indian! At this point I interjected the conversation and asked the second student why he thought student one was not an Indian! Through both words and physical expression this student explained that student one did not have any feathers and lifted two fingers behind his head to represent a feather. This unfortunate confrontation was a perfect example of the stereotypes children often believe about Native American Indians. This was further expressed in the Reese in which she explains how students commonly misinterpret all Indians as possessing feathered clothing or accessories! This issue is also reproduced in inaccurate diverse Children's Literature about American Indians. I am certainly beginning to realize the overwhemling need for accurate and respectful representations of Native Americans in Children's Literature!
The last comment I would like to make concerning this weeks discussion deals with an encounter with my roommate earlier this week. When I was writing my textual response for our book, my roommate came in my room to see what I was up to. After I said I was writing a paper about Indians, she responded by putting her hand over her mouth and making a "Waaa Waaa Waaa" sound to imitate her perception of Indians. She continued on and asked if I was writing about "the dot or the feather kind?" By this she meant to ask if I was writing about Indians from India or Native Americans. Since I had just read our book about the Penacook tribe and researched the harmful effects of stereotypes, I found this display incredibly offensive and disrespectful! However, I was also stumped as how to respond to these actions. This is a question I am still struggling with, especially since in the past I have used the same cultural stereotype to discribe Ameican Indians! Any advice and comments would be greatly appreiciated!
Have a great week :)
The first thing that came to my mind when we began this discussion was a memory of growing up playing "Cowboys and Indians"! My older brother and I never gave a second thought to a seemingly innocent game that turns out to be incredibly disrespectful! I also pondered the implications of Central Michigan University having an Indian mascot! I have some good friends attending that university and have on several occassions attended sporting events involving their Indian mascot, a Chippewa Indian! At the time, I did not realize how dehumanizing this display of mockery was to Native Americans. Now, after our class discussion and watching the video about sports mascots, I have completely changed my beliefs about Indian mascots. I realize how incredibly hurtful mascots used for entertainment can be to the insider culture.
I would also like to discuss a disturbing event that occured in my field placement classroom Wednesday morning. During morning activities, I came upon two second grade students intensely arguing. I overheard the first student declaring himself an American Indian. The second student shouted back that the first student could not be an Indian! At this point I interjected the conversation and asked the second student why he thought student one was not an Indian! Through both words and physical expression this student explained that student one did not have any feathers and lifted two fingers behind his head to represent a feather. This unfortunate confrontation was a perfect example of the stereotypes children often believe about Native American Indians. This was further expressed in the Reese in which she explains how students commonly misinterpret all Indians as possessing feathered clothing or accessories! This issue is also reproduced in inaccurate diverse Children's Literature about American Indians. I am certainly beginning to realize the overwhemling need for accurate and respectful representations of Native Americans in Children's Literature!
The last comment I would like to make concerning this weeks discussion deals with an encounter with my roommate earlier this week. When I was writing my textual response for our book, my roommate came in my room to see what I was up to. After I said I was writing a paper about Indians, she responded by putting her hand over her mouth and making a "Waaa Waaa Waaa" sound to imitate her perception of Indians. She continued on and asked if I was writing about "the dot or the feather kind?" By this she meant to ask if I was writing about Indians from India or Native Americans. Since I had just read our book about the Penacook tribe and researched the harmful effects of stereotypes, I found this display incredibly offensive and disrespectful! However, I was also stumped as how to respond to these actions. This is a question I am still struggling with, especially since in the past I have used the same cultural stereotype to discribe Ameican Indians! Any advice and comments would be greatly appreiciated!
Have a great week :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Welcome :)
Hello all, my name is Beckie! Welcome to my new blog for TE 448 "Issues of Diversity in Children's and Adolescent Literature." This is also my first blog EVER! As a senior student in the MSU College of Education I am very excited to begin learning more about diversity in Children's Literature! This topic is of particular interest because of the increasing need for diverse literature in American classrooms. As a future elementary teacher, it is incredibly important that I find and integrate literature that will represent all students within my classroom!! Some main goals I have for this semester include learning as much as possible about different forms of diverse literature available, how to choose appropriate diverse literature for the classroom, and ways to better incorporate these texts in my future career!
A few questions to start off the semester:
1. How do I choose and integrate diverse literature into my agenda that does not validate current ethnic stereotypes??
2. What are some reliable resources I can turn to for more information on specific diverse literature texts??
3. Where do I find texts that authentically represent minority groups such as Native Americans, Asians, Latinos, African Americans, etc?? How about poems, journals, and recipes??
A few questions to start off the semester:
1. How do I choose and integrate diverse literature into my agenda that does not validate current ethnic stereotypes??
2. What are some reliable resources I can turn to for more information on specific diverse literature texts??
3. Where do I find texts that authentically represent minority groups such as Native Americans, Asians, Latinos, African Americans, etc?? How about poems, journals, and recipes??
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