So far, we’ve covered a lot of course content and had many discussions that have reshaped my thinking in many ways and drawn my attention to issues I never quite paid much attention to before. One reading from this class that particularly stood out to me was the Sorrells reading (Sorrells, 2016). I have always grappled with accepting my culture for all that it is. I previously viewed culture as a rigid box in which I was confined. The reading offered me brand new lenses that adjusted my view of culture. The reading offered me a way out of the rigid box by explaining culture as malleable and subject to critique, rather than a rigid structure passed down from generation to generation.

Our Gorski reading resonated with me as well (Gorski, 2016). There are many times when I have been in situations where an institution claimed to be celebrating ‘cultural diversity,’ but it never felt quite right. These events, which were supposed to be ‘empowering’, often left me feeling the exact opposite. I feel like Gorski’s article gave meaning to these feelings I never managed to label. It gave me some validation by highlighting one of the many ways in which placing too much emphasis on culture can be harmful and further promote inequity.

One of the most challenging aspects of this class so far has been reflection. I believe this comes with a lot of vulnerability that I am not very used to. Opening myself up to look within can be very scary, especially when I find myself on the negative side. One practical example of this is: after reflecting on Chimamanda’s speech on the danger of a single story (Adichie, 2009), I found myself harboring some single stories about other people I have encountered in my life. In addition, I sometimes find myself filtering my responses. Being the only African in the class, I feel burdened with the responsibility to be a good reflection of my country and my continent at large. Knowing that my culture is mostly looked down upon and seen as barbaric or uncivilized makes it hard for me to critique some aspects of it publicly, out of fear of feeding into those stereotypes.

However, all in all, I am enjoying this class very much. I leave every session feeling very enriched in knowledge. It has been great learning and unlearning things every day and engaging with all of these new concepts. I enjoy the interconnectedness of all our reading and theories we’re learning about, and how they are challenging our fixed ways of thinking. I have also observed that the other members of this class also do their best to contribute towards rich discussion, and it’s always so enlightening to hear what my classmates have to say.

References

Adichie, C. N. (2009, July). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

Gorski, P. (2016). Rethinking the role of “culture” in educational equity: From cultural competence to equity literacy. Multicultural perspectives, 18(4), 221-226.

Sorrells, K. (2016). Intercultural communication: Globalization and social justice (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.