How Wearing a Social Justice Lens Can Support You, Your Clients, and the Larger Community: An Intersectionality Workshop With a Twist

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-409
Author(s):  
Melissa Jay ◽  
Jason Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Case Conceptualization ◽  
Culturally Competent ◽  
Systemic Oppression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blind Spots

Counsellors may not comprehend fully the impact of their blind spots as a result of unconscious cultural encapsulation. The authors propose a self-reflective method by which counsellors can self-examine their assumptions about diversity and intersectionality. They invite readers to engage with the contents of this article to identify their blind spots, biases, and assumptions through self-reflective exercises. This article summarizes an intersectionality workshop with a twist that was offered by Melissa Jay, Jason Brown, and Rebecca Ward at the 2019 conference of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. The intention of the workshop was (a) to raise consciousness about systemic oppression, (b) to explore Collins’s (2018c) culturally responsive and socially just case conceptualization as the framework for the workshop, (c) to bring client intersectionality to life using four vignettes they created, (d) to reflect on client intersectionality and cultural identity, and (e) to propose a method by which counsellors can self-examine their assumptions about diversity and intersectionality, leading to more culturally competent counselling.

Social Presence and Cultural Identity

2018 ◽  
pp. 136-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Simunich ◽  
Amy M. Grincewicz
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Language Context ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the impact of cultural identity on social presence in online courses, as well as culturally-responsive instructional design frameworks that work to increase social presence and reduce distance for culturally diverse online learners. Social presence, which is a student's sense of being and belonging in a course, is naturally reduced in the online environment. Cultural differences, such as language, context, communication styles, etc., have been shown to further reduce a student's sense of belonging and increase feelings of isolation. Instructors, as course designers and facilitators, must understand the impact of culture on their students' sense of social presence, and use culturally-responsive instructional design strategies and methods to provide an inclusive, flexible, online learning environment.

Evaluating the impact of distributed culturally responsive leadership in a disadvantaged rural primary school in Ireland

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Brown ◽  
Gerry McNamara ◽  
Joe O’Hara ◽  
Stafford Hood ◽  
Denise Burns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Culturally Responsive Leadership ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The Impact

This paper suggests that distributed leadership is a vital first step in making schools flexible enough to respond to new pressures. However, it is then argued that distributed leadership per se does not necessarily imply a commitment to a particular stance on issues of social justice, such as equality, but rather that this can only flow from leaders becoming culturally responsive to the diverse traditions and needs of the changing populations of their schools. We define this combination as ‘distributed culturally responsive leadership’. The second part of the paper attempts to illustrate this argument by closely examining the philosophy and actions of a particular principal who is regarded as an exemplar of good practice. The methodology used in the school case study is described and, finally, we provide a presentation and analysis of the data followed by a discussion of the research findings.

Reflections

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Agyeman ◽  
Caitlin Matthews ◽  
Hannah Sobel
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Direct Connection ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Food Trucks ◽  
Cultural Commodity ◽  
The Impact

In this reflection on the chapters included in the volume, the editors draw out major threads of discussion and highlight opportunities for future research. Two main threads of conversation about power surfaced throughout the collection: power and cultural identity, and power and criminalization. This final chapter explores and summarizes the ways in which the chapters in the volume illustrate the emerging urban trend of food as a cultural commodity. Additionally, the chapter synthesizes depictions of the bifurcation of the food truck industry and the discriminatory implementation of regulations. Finally, the editors recommend further investigation into the direct connection between identity formation and social justice, as well as the impact of incubator organizations on food trucks and street food vending. Importantly, the editors call for research on the relationships between street food vending, food trucks, and gentrification.

Social Presence and Cultural Identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 302-322
Author(s):  
Bethany Simunich ◽  
Amy M. Grincewicz
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Language Context ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the impact of cultural identity on social presence in online courses, as well as culturally-responsive instructional design frameworks that work to increase social presence and reduce distance for culturally diverse online learners. Social presence, which is a student's sense of being and belonging in a course, is naturally reduced in the online environment. Cultural differences, such as language, context, communication styles, etc., have been shown to further reduce a student's sense of belonging and increase feelings of isolation. Instructors, as course designers and facilitators, must understand the impact of culture on their students' sense of social presence, and use culturally-responsive instructional design strategies and methods to provide an inclusive, flexible, online learning environment.

Two types of reflections about English as a medium of instruction

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Gabriëls ◽  
Robert Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Linguistic Justice ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blind Spots ◽  
Three Phases

The worldwide introduction of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) programmes has stimulated numerous reflections within and outside academia. These reflections find their expression in both scholarly studies into EMI and public debates about its impact. In this article we argue that one can distinguish two types of reflections about EMI. The first type focuses on improving EMI. The second type focuses on the legitimation of EMI, that is whether EMI programmes are justified in view of their assumptions and consequences. We investigate the genesis and the differences between two separate discourses that express the different types of reflections. We unfold a history that shows that roughly three phases can be distinguished in the development of EMI: the incubation of EMI, its consolidation and its politicisation. We argue that the heuristic value of the two types of reflection is that they are conducive to comprehending this development of EMI and look at it with critical eyes. In addition, we suggest that politicised issues like the impact of Englishization on the cultural identity, language hierarchies, top-down implementations of language policies and the inequalities regarding the access to EMI programmes might be fruitfully addressed in terms of linguistic justice and democracy. By distinguishing two types of reflection, blind spots in EMI research can be revealed.

RAISE IT UP!! Youth Arts and Awareness

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Thomas-Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Literary Arts ◽  
Systemic Oppression ◽  
Creative Self

RAISE IT UP! Youth Arts and Awareness (RIU) is an organization that promotes youth engagement, expression, and empowerment through the use of performance and literary arts and social justice activism. We envision a world where youth are fully recognized, valued, and supported as artist-activists and emerging thought leaders, working to create a world that is just, intersectional, and inclusive. Two fundamental tenets shape RIU’s policies, practices, and pedagogy. The first is that creative self-expression and culture making are powerful tools for personal and social transformation. The second is that social justice is truly possible only if and when we are willing to have transparent and authentic conversations about the oppression children experience at the hands of the adults in their lives. We are committed to amplifying youth voices and leadership and building cross-generational solidarity among people of all ages, particularly those impacted by marginalization. Though RIU is focused on and driven by the youth, a large part of our work includes helping adult family members, educators, and community leaders understand the ways in which systemic oppression shapes our perceptions of and interactions with the young people in our homes, neighborhoods, institutions, and decision-making bodies.

A Research on the Impact of Taiwan’s Cultural Colors on Cultural Identity

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
I-Ling Shih ◽  
◽  
Yu-Chiou Tchen ◽  
Chia-Hui Huang
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals When Authenticity Goes Missing: How Monocultural Children’s Literature Is Silencing the Voices and Contributing to Invisibility of Children from Minority Backgrounds

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Helen Adam
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Children's Literature ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Day Care ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Long Day ◽  
Day Care Centres ◽  
Book Collections ◽  
The Impact

The importance of recognising, valuing and respecting a child’s family, culture, language and values is central to socially just education and is increasingly articulated in educational policy worldwide. Inclusive children’s literature can support children’s human rights and contribute to equitable and socially just outcomes for all children. However, evidence suggests many educational settings provide monocultural book collections which are counterproductive to principles of diversity and social justice. Further, that educators’ understandings and beliefs about diversity can contribute to inequitable provision and use of diverse books and to inequitable outcomes of book sharing for many children. This paper reports on a larger study investigating factors and relationships influencing the use of children’s literature to support principles of cultural diversity in the kindergarten rooms of long day care centres. The study was conducted within an ontological perspective of constructivism and an epistemological perspective of interpretivism informed by sociocultural theory. A mixed methods approach was adopted, and convergent design was employed interpret significant relationships and their meanings. Twenty-four educators and 110 children from four long day care centres in Western Australia participated. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, video-based observations, field notes, document analysis and a book audit. This study firstly identified that current book collections in kindergarten rooms of long day care centres promote mono-cultural viewpoints and ‘othering’ of minority groups through limited access to books portraying inclusive and authentic cultural diversity. Secondly, that educators had limited understandings of the role of literature in acknowledging and valuing diversity and rarely used it to promote principles of diversity, resulting in a practice of “othering” those from minority group backgrounds. The key challenges which emerged from the study concerned beliefs, understanding and confidence of educators about diversity and inclusion, and the impact of these on their approaches to promoting principles of diversity through the use of children’s books. This research contributes to discussion on the value of children’s literature in achieving international principles of diversity. These findings have important social justice implications. The outcomes of this study have implications for educators, policy makers, early childhood organisations and those providing higher education and training for early childhood educators.

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