Cultural Representations

From Taylor-Mendes’ article Construction of Racial Stereotypes in English as a Foreign Language Textbook.

As an ELL, I don’t remember the pictures in my ESL books or whether if I took some underlining message from it. But again this is a different context than what Taylor-Mendes’ article refers too. This week reading left me speechless. Mendes’ article explored how images in textbooks, shaped students’ and teachers’ impressions of the target language foreign-language culture. The study took place in Sao Paulo Brazil, where 15 participants (students and teacher) were asked specific questions during interviews. This is where I had my 1^st problem with the study. For a research that looks at what images say about a particular group of people (mostly minority) I find it faulty that 95% on the participants were Caucasian and privileged. I believe the results would have been different or different ideas would have been presented if the participants were equally divided. During the first interview, students were asked to examine a textbook and talk about the pictures in general. Their responses were categorized into the following stereotypical images or conclusions; America is the land of the white elite, blacks are represented as poor, and race is divided by continent.  The last part, which says race is divided by continent, really took me by surprise because I never looked at race that way, and now I realized it is because it is not true. Anyone who knows a little about history knows that is not real. The article then continues to describe the differences the images portrayed between majority and minority groups of people. In a classroom, the white kids are shown as sitting down nice and neat while the blacks kids are sitting like “they are waiting to be hit” (73). This disturbed me, not that it was said but because a comparison of a picture could reveal something as negative as that comment. This reminded me of some comments made in class in regard to blacks( getting rape because there are a lot of blacks, the swimming pool and talking Ebonics) being “African” black  I wonder how I am suppose to react to that?   Because depending who the comment talks about may bring different emotions.

As I continued to read the article I became more and more frustrated because I can relate to these things. In one of the textbook, an image (the only image) that could potentially represent South America or Latin America is from a Hollywood film, which about just killed me. Because I know these movies are not all true. Many of you watch the Discovery Chanel which explores different types of cultures. (Just speaking about what is show about Africa) the TV makes it seem appeared like Africa is uncivilized, where everyone lives in huts and hunt for meat. What does this do or bring to the viewers? Absolutely nothing, it just reinforces what they already know. This ties perfectly with what the book mentions on page 41, this makes is easier for other cultures not to know that “Arabs do not wear the Kufiyah, … many people do not live in traditional souks, or war-torn streets with livestock,… that there are cars and computers much like “we do”. Many people do this both young and old,  they ask these tyoes of questions and I began to wonder; do I have the right to be mad at people who ask me such questions? Is it their fault? Shouldn’t it be their job to use deductive reasoning before formulating questions such as “do you have cars in Africa”?

Comments

What does an English speaker look like? What is culture? What does it mean to be an American? These questions should never be asked to students.

I don’t know if anyone else found it hurtful when one student said “They sell you dreams that you can achieve in the USA but those dreams can’t happen in my culture”.  EFL books should be written with a country in mind.

As for teachers who are trying to break the typical stereotypes ideas that are reinforce through pictures. We should try to go outside of the book, also use our own images to give students another point of view. This can easily be done especially if you are from a different country.

Also as teachers, we should handle these types of topics with sufficient sensitivity, the earlier we start talking about it the more comfortable students will be, but we still need to be careful as to when to introduce it.

In the article they mentioned an activity for teachers to do in order to explore about different groups of people. They should reflect on “how will their lives be different if they were of a different race”. Although this experience is a great idea but in the end I don’t think it is not enough because you can never really know what it feels like. At any point in time,  you are capable of switching roles. Unless you do like the white writer that completely went out and changed his color.

Question: When is it right to give up on a student? Was it right for Martha to give up on Reza?