Reading multicultural texts

By now, some necessary tools for students to handle the analysis of multicultural texts have been furnished. To offer further ideas as to what to look for in such a text, the class is presented with a reading list of five short stories by Canadian writers of mixed ethnicity at this stage (Figure 8).

1.) Comment on the writer’s use of language in Hana Kim’s “You” and Sasenarine Perseaud’s “Canada Geese and Apple Chatney.” How does language help/ form an impediment in the way of understanding the story?

2.) Is the knowledge of the home culture essential for the reader to understand MelissaKim’s

“The Picnic”? Why can it be difficult to understand the story for someone without the home cultural background knowledge?

3.) What is the source of conflict in Yean Yoon’s “White Life” and Himani Bannerji’s “On a Cold Day”? Is this conflict resolved at the end of the story?

4.) Identify the multicultural markers in Himani Bannerji’s “On a Cold Day.”

Figure 8: Introductory analysis task sheet

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The italicized parts of the questions channel students’ attention towards a particular issue to be examined within the context of the given short story. This opens up further potentials for discussing issues such as literary code switching, linguistic hybridization, the extent to which background knowledge on the given ethnic community is important, the potential sources of conflict resulting from characters’ ‘in-betweenness,’ multicultural markers, traces of acculturation, transculturation, the dynamic and fluid nature of identity, positive multicultural thinking, the anxiety of ethnic difference, cross-cultural influences and stereotypical images of various ethnic communities.

Every module is concluded with a two-option home assignment (Figure 9), which offers students the opportunity to perform what they have learnt in class on a different text. Of the two options, one draws on more practical, the other on more theoretical issues and considerations.

ASSIGNMENT 1:

Option 1: Identify the multicultural markers in Yean Yoon’s “Halmonee” (home/ family/

heritage/ beliefs/ language/ environment).

Option 2: Read Aritha van Herk’s “Writing the Immigrant Self: Disguise and Damnation.” In van Herk’s opinion, why is it difficult to be a writer with a Dutch ethnic background?

Figure 9: Home assignment

Last, three task types will be presented which were used in dealing with Module III (Latino-Canadian Writers) and Module IV. (Asian-(Latino-Canadian Writers) and proved to be very popular with students.

Entitled “Designing Latino Literary Space,” the first such activity featured data collection and placing findings (setting, characters, plot and themes) in a chart based on six texts written by Latino-Canadian authors. Using the findings and students’ own experience of Latino writing and media, they had to design a poster in response to what they think constitutes Latino Literary Space. Every group presented their posters in turn, the common features were noted and discussed.

Figure 10: “Designing Latino Literary Space”

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Next, based on the results of the “Latino Literary Space” activity, students were asked to compile a “Latino story ingredients” list and, choosing from these ingredients, they had to create their own Latino story in small groups. A time limit was set, and the activity concluded with a reading session of the stories thus prepared.

Belonging to Module IV (Asian Canadian Literature), the third activity aimed at exploring home and host cultural markers in Jane Park’s short story entitled “Falling” (Figure 11).

Students had to create two columns on a flipchart sheet, one for either marker type, whereas the space in the middle was saved for ‘ambiguous’ cases. Once all groups were ready, their lists of home and host cultural markers were compared. When there was disagreement, students had to account for their choice. Finally, the ‘space in-between’ was also explored, and through it, the notions ‘transculturation’ and ‘cultural hybrid’ were introduced. The activity also demonstrated to students that hybridization can manifest in many different ways, just as it can give birth to a wide range of cultural objects and phenomena.

Figure 11: “Home and Host Cultural Markers and In-Between”

6. Conclusion

Naturally, the scope of material development extends beyond the presentation of the actual teaching materials that resulted from the process, but these materials do allow an additional glimpse into the realized principles and objectives, even if implicitly, hence their focal position in the article.

The featured module (I. General Introduction) was built around the following five nodes: (1) definitions of multiculturalism, (2) the connection between immigration and multiculturalism, (3) multiculturalism as reflected in personal experiences, (4) making the connection between multiculturalism and literature and (5) reading multicultural texts. As for the last node, some popular activities from Module III (Latino-Canadian Writers) and Module IV. (Asian-Canadian Writers) were also touched upon with the intention of raising the reader’s interest and encouraging colleagues to introduce multicultural texts in their classrooms.

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Bibliography

CYCHOTA, Julie. (2008): “Between: Living in the Hyphen – Review.” CM. Vol. XIV. No. 12.

https://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol14/no12/between.html (online).

HECKMANN, Friedrich. (1993): “Multiculturalism Defined Seven Ways.” The Social Contract.

Vol 3. No 4. 245-46.

KIM, Isabelle. (2007): “Dear X.” In: Jin Huh et al. (eds.) Han Kŭt – Critical Art and Writing by Korean Canadian Women. Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education Inc., 233-240.

MARSH, Joseph et al. (eds.) (1999): The Canadian Encyclopaedia. Toronto: MacClelland and Stewart.

N^AKAGAWA, Anne Maria. (2005): Between: Living in the Hyphen. Montreal: National Film Board (film).

STATISTICS CANADA. (2011): “Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity in Canada.” Statistics Canada. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-010-x2011001-eng.cfm (online).

YIM, Suzy. (2007): “Identities.” In: Jin Huh et al. (eds.): Han Kŭt – Critical Art and Writing by Korean Canadian Women. Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education Inc., 125-128.

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Andrew Ryder

Corvinus University Budapest Andrew.ryder@uni-corvinus.hu

MULTICULTURALISM AND MONOCULTURALISM: COMING FULL CIRCLE