Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week we were asked to obtain the definition of culture and diversity from three friends.  I wrote to three colleagues; their definitions were similar to what we have been reading.  One aspect that we’ve studied that my friends spoke of was culture groups (Smidt, 2006).  Some of the examples from their definitions of what is culture: commonality among a group of people, their history, family, traditions, and their beliefs.

The one aspect that was omitted was the dominant culture.  My friends spoke of a mingling of various cultures embracing the differences of one another or multiple cultures interacting in an environment.  No one spoke of how the dominant culture might affect the individual cultures or how these individuals are encouraged to conform to the dominant views.

When thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity I found that my friends’ way of thinking was similar to my own thoughts.  Culture defines who we are as an individual, where diversity is where and/or we fit into the social cultural groups.  I believe that when we think of culture or diversity you have to remember that we are all different but these differences are what make us unique individuals.  The different cultures can provided for an awesome learning opportunity in our diverse classrooms.