Summary
Being aware of one’s cultural background and the essential characteristics thereof is exceptionally helpful in building relationships with others, especially in the context of a classroom environment. Indeed, when establishing a rapport with students, one will need to have a profound awareness of one’s culture and the means of conveying specific information to learners so that no misunderstandings cold occur. Although robust communication on a cross-cultural level is only possible when expanding one’s communication skills beyond the constraints of one’s own culture, understanding one’s cultural characteristics is particularly helpful in understanding how the rapport is formed and what items may become an obstacle to it.
Dissecting my identity, I must say that it does not have a clear and easily identifiable characteristics of a particular culture. Coming from a diverse background, I have learned to combine the elements of different cultures to communicate my ideas and express myself, which has been incredibly helpful when building my teaching skills. However, the path toward the specified identity has not been simple. Examining my family history, I learned that my great-grandmother was put in a foster care and gave birth to my grandmother at an incredibly young age of 12, which suggests the presence of violence and, possibly, racial and ethnic prejudices against my family members. With my ethnic background being a combination of the Caribbean, Hispanic, and Asian heritage, the specified assumption is quite likely to be true, which is why I recognize the importance of acknowledging and fighting racial and ethnic discrimination. Remarkably, scholars specify that the blend of cultures and beliefs perfectly represents the Caribbean culture and can be considered one of its key markers (Niezen, 2008). In turn, respect for authority of the elderly can be seen as one of the min beliefs of the Hispanic culture, which has also left its imprint on me.
Overall, when considering the cultural elements and characteristics that I have been exhibiting in my communication, both in the context of the professional real and in day-to-day conversations, I must admit that I have been demonstrating a mixture of cultural values and beliefs. Since my background is quite mixed and diverse, and the environment in which I have been communicating can also be characterize by high rates of cultural and ethnic diversity, I have learned to identify and utilize the elements of a range of cultures in conversations with others. As a result, achieving mutual understanding and creating strong connections while avoiding misconception and resolving conflicts has become particularly simple for me. Moreover, with my diverse background, I can easily relate to others’ experiences, which contributes to building empathy and reducing the threat of misunderstandings.
Admittedly, my current stance on my race and ethnicity suggests that I have mostly chosen it. Indeed, having a mixed background and a long family history of living in the U.S., I have managed to adopt the cosmopolitan perspective that has guided me toward using compromise and collaboration as the main tools in communicating with others. However, at the same time, my legacy as that one of a mixed culture comprising ethnicities known as oppressed minorities has defined my cultural legacy, which, according to Jullien and Rodriguez (2021), is vital in embracing the idea of cross-cultural communication. Namely, the effects of oppression and colonialism still weigh heavily on my cultural background. Despite being a rather somber part of my family history, the specified detail also helps me create trust-based relationships with other vulnerable communities by recognizing their humanity and the effects that oppression and discrimination have had on them.
Two Components of My Cultural Identity
Representing a blend of several cultures, my cultural identity suggests a rather compromising perspective on any of the key elements of a cultural identity, offering a substantial amount of it to personal interpretation. However, some of the ideas, which happen to be ubiquitous across all three of the cultures mentioned above, have percolated into my identity, therefore, cementing the specified items as major cultural markers. For instance, even though the current media conversation regarding gender as a set of stereotypical perceptions of masculinity and femininity, as well as the associated gender roles, has been leaning toward diversity, my culture has certain expectations for the behaviors of men and women (Niezen, 2008). As a result, even though I strive to embrace the idea of a fender-free community where men and women have the opportunity to make choices based on their personal preferences as opposed to the ideas that are foisted upon them by society, I still need to overcome some of the ideas associated with gender role that my culture promotes. Namely, the stereotypical masculinity and femininity tropes being inherently linked to one’s sex, positive they might be, need to be removed from my cultural identity. By embracing the multitude of opportunities for self-expression and lifestyle choices, I will be able to build a rapport with a greater range of people and avoid misunderstandings and possible conflicts accordingly.
Another crucial aspect of the cultures listed above, the issue of religious beliefs, should be touched upon as one of the core components of my cultural identity. Although my cultural ancestry incorporates a broad array of religious beliefs, the influence of the Christian tradition has turned out to be the one of the strongest. Specifically, Christian beliefs have been fostered and actively promoted ion my family, which has led to me internalizing most of the critical Christian values, including the importance of empathy, support, and compassion for others. The specified qualities have allowed me to adopt the communication strategy that creates a non-judgmental environment conducive to active discussions of cross-cultural issues and does not lead to the development of conflicts.
Finally, I must confess that the specified beliefs, though having been partially inspired by the ideas of white culture, have not afforded me white privilege due to my cultural background. Since my cultural and ethnic legacy is represented by an amalgamation of cultures and traditions, primarily those of minority races and ethnicities, I have been on a journey to fighting race- and ethnicity-based prejudices for quite long. Even though my background has allowed me to choose certain aspects of my cultural identity, it has also implied that I have to encounter hostile attitudes from some community members while also having to deal with institutionalized racism and biases within the community (Cherry, 2021). The described experiences have served as an important starting point for building my current stance on addressing cross-cultural issues, as well as the development of my cultural identity, in the way that has guided me toward intersectionality as the principal concept to be applied to cross-cultural interactions (Ho & Ho, 2021). Thus, I believe that my current stance on cultural issues and my current cultural identity are conducive to building a welcoming and unbiased educational environment for learners of all backgrounds.
References
Cherry, K. (2021). What to do if you don’t know who you are. VeryWellMind. Web.
Ho, J., & Ho, D. (2021). Eyes that Kiss in the Corners. Harper.
Jullien, F., & Rodriguez, P. (2021). There is no such thing as cultural identity. John Wiley & Sons.
Niezen, R. (2008). A world beyond difference: Cultural identity in the age of globalization. John Wiley & Sons.