Japanese Culture Constructed by Discourses by Ryuko Kubota (Oct. 5)

Kubota proposes critical multiculturalism. Representations of culture in critical multiculturalism are understood as the consequence of social struggles over meanings that manifest certain political and ideological values and metaphors attached to them. This rejects a form of liberal thinking in which cultural differences are affirmed merely as an end in themselves without an understanding of how difference is produced, legitimated, and eliminated within unequal relations of power. She also persists that ESL professionals need to not only go beyond simply affirming and respecting the culture of the Other and romanticizing its authentic voices, but also critically explore how cultural differences as a form of knowledge are produced and perpetuated and how they can work toward transforming the status quo.

In critical literacy, the teacher and students need to read, write and discuss with critical consciousness how the existing knowledge of cultural differences is formed and what kind of meanings are attached to dominant and subordinate forms of culture and language. At the same time, they need to engage critically in the acquisition of the dominant codes of the target language. Because the language is taught in order to give the students a voice so that they can fight for the transformation of an unjust and cruel society. In other words, perspectives from critical multiculturalism and critical literacy facilitate a view of culture as a site of political and ideological struggle over meaning. They also provide a pedagogical foundation for both affirming cultural heritage and teaching the dominant language by critically examining the representations of both the dominant and the subordinate cultures.

As I read Kubota’s article and Reiko’s response, they remind me of my teaching in Korea. I had usually taught several contemporary American novels. Whenever I met my students for the first time, I always insisted them to read, think, and analyze them critically. In fact, although we read and studied novels, it is written in English not Korean because this course belonged to English department. It means, one of the basic reasons for studying English novels is to learn and improve English, in terms of not just English literal proficiency but also English in standard and high class. But what is the standard (and high class) English? English of British and North American, white, middle class? But Kubota insists the importance of world English, especially in Asian area. It means there is no standard. But can I give an A to my students with Korean English and American English (if it is called) at the same time?

In the class, students also can learn and accept American culture through learning and studying novels. Sometimes I show some scripts of films made in Hollywood to students, and force to think how it is different from the textbooks and why it is made like that and what is hidden behind the film. But I was always disappointed at my students’ apolitical interests in power relationships between them. They wonder why they criticize them but not enjoy them as an entertainment. It always makes me exhausted but encouraged to recognize what I have to teach.