CHAPTER 2
Globalization and Cultural
and Multicultural Literacies
Introduction
Globalization and cultural and multicultural literacies are widely used, but might not be
clearly understood. In this chapter, we tackle these terms and their major characteristics and
effects to enable you to develop a sound comprehension. As a prospective teacher, a clear
comprehension of these concepts is vital in honing your skills and providing a conducive
learning environment.
Intended Learning Outcomes
1. Describe the following terms and their general impact: globalization,
global literacy, cultural and multicultural literacy
2. Assess one’s personal level of cultural and multicultural literacy
3. Explore critical issues in globalization, cultural and multi-cultural
literacies and their integration in
the K-12 curriculum; and
4. Apply the principles and theories of globalization and cultural and
multi-cultural literacies in designing classroom learning activities.
Lecture Notes
WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION
● According to WHO, globalization can be defined as “the increased interconnectedness
and interdependence of peoples and countries. It is generally understood to include two
inter-related elements: the opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of
goods, services, finance, people and ideas; and the changes in institutions and policies at
national and international levels that facilitate or promote such flows.”
● Globalization can be described as borders (Wiki How, 2020):
⮚ It is a historical period.
⮚ It is an economic phenomenon.
⮚ It is the triumph of American values.
⮚ It is a social and technological revolution.
⮚ It is the annihilation of distance.
● Globalization as a historical period spans from approximately 1970 to the present and
which follows the era of the Cold War (1945-1989), which in turn followed what has
often been dubbed the Age of Extremes (1870-1945). This periodization is defined by
either borders (Wiki How, 2020):
⮚ Structural shifts – The fall or the Soviet Bloc and the end of the social contract
that linked labor representation, productivity, and wages within a mass
production system of manufacturing.
⮚ A conjunction of more temporary factors – The oil crisis of the late 1970s, a
GNP decline and inflation in the 1980s, and the elections of Margaret Thatcher,
Ronald Reagan, and Helmut Kohl.
● Globalization as an economic phenomenon. Globalization refers to “the growing
interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by
cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people,
and information.” (Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2019).
● Globalization as the triumph of American values. Globalization is seen as as a global
convergence of politics, economic practices, and culture around a specifically American
version of democracy, capitalism, and "commercial secularism," in which consumption of
goods and culture (film, music, restaurants, etc.) takes the place of religion or other
cultural traditions (Wiki How, 2020).
● Globalization as a social and technological revolution. This revolution is creating a
new economy in which the globe is a single market and a new social order in which
people take part in a global culture and economy that is more open and flexible. It is
typified by: globally integrated production, specialized but interdependent labor markets,
the privatization of state assets, new technological linkages (phones, the internet, online
markets) that transcend national borders (Wiki How, 2020).
● Globalization as an annihilation of distance. Planes, cell phones, and the internet have
combined to dramatically shrink time and distance, resulting in a fundamentally different
human experience of space typified by: increased interconnectedness that lead distant
events to have local impacts, the transcendence of local and national boundaries, and the
increased speed of social activity mediated by technology (Wiki How, 2020).
● The history of globalization is driven by technology, transportation, and international
cooperation/policy initiatives.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION?
● The Effects of Globalization
⮚ Economic, political and military dependence and interdependence
⮚ The economic effects of globalization - more goods at lower prices, scaled up
businesses, better product quality and variety, innovation, job churn, decline in
the gap between rich and poor globally,
⮚ Expanded flow of individual people among societies
⮚ Interdependence of expressive culture among nations
⮚ Expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world
● Globalization as A Tool for Prosperity and Peace. After World War II, the United
States helped build a global economic order governed by mutually accepted rules and
overseen by multilateral institutions. The idea was to create a better world with countries
seeking to cooperate with one another to promote prosperity and peace. Free trade and
the rule of law were mainstays of the system, helping to prevent most economic disputes
from escalating into larger conflicts. The institutions established include:
⮚ IMF, International Monetary Fund, established 1944, 189 member countries.
Works to stabilize the system and help countries facing balance of payment and
debt crises.
⮚ UN, United Nations, established 1945, 193 member countries. Seeks to prevent
conflict with global security norms and assistance for humanitarian crises.
⮚ World Bank, established 1945, 189 member countries. Founded to help
reconstruct postwar Europe, it now provides loans and policy advice to
developing countries.
⮚ WTO, World Trade Organization, established 1948, as the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Replaced 1995, by the WTO, 164 member countries.
Sets rules for international trade and adjudicates trade disputes. Member countries
agree to WTO rules, but can also negotiate free trade agreements with each other.
⮚ NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established 1949, 29 member
countries. Bulwark of Western security alliance.
● From a globalization perspective, regionalization means a world that is less
interconnected and has a stronger regional focus. Regionalization can also be analyzed
from a corporate perspective. For instance, businesses such as McDonald’s or Starbucks
don’t sell exactly the same products everywhere. In some specific stores, they consider
people’s regional habits. That’s why the McChicken isn’t sold in India, whereas in
Portugal there’s a steak sandwich menu like the ones you can get in a typical Portuguese
restaurant. Politically speaking, when left-wing parties are in power, they tend to focus on
their country’s people, goods and services. Exchanges with the outside world aren’t seen
as very valuable and importations are often left aside. (youmatter, 2020)
WHAT IS GLOBAL LITERACY?
● Global Literacy
Global literacy aims to address issues of globalization, racism, diversity and
social justice (Guo, 2014 in 21st Century Education, 2017). It requires awareness and
action, consistent with a broad understanding of humanity, the planet, and the impact of
human decision on both. Global literacy also aims to empower students with knowledge
and take action to make a positive impact in the world and their local community (Guo,
2014 in 21st Century Education, 2017).
A global citizen should display most or all of the following characteristics
(Ontario Ministry of Education in 21st Century Education, 2017)
⮚ Respect for humans no matter their race, gender, religion or political perspectives.
⮚ Respect for diversity and various perspectives.
⮚ Promoting sustainable patterns of living, consumption, and production.
⮚ Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respectful towards the rights of all
living things.
Global literacy, most usually characterized by a multiplicity of social and digital
skills required to function in a multicultural pluralistic shared community across
international contexts (Prasad, 2021).
It can be defined as the ability to identify, interpret, analyze, synthesize, create,
use, communicate, and share new knowledge using communication technologies
worldwide. The global awareness theme speaks to the need for students to be able to
learn from and work collaboratively with individuals from diverse cultures, religions,
ideologies, and lifestyles in an environment of openness and mutual respect. This theme
also references the ways in which students utilize 21st-century skills to understand and
engage with global issues and diverse learning communities.
Everything globally interconnected in the 21st-century tech-savvy knowledge
economy. It is time to represent a classroom that encourages learning from a wide range
of different cultures and traditions all over the world. A deeper understanding of the
diverse culture creates a big change in the attitude and skills of the new-gen to work for
sustainable development goal 2030, sustainable lifestyles for global citizenship.
THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld)
In 2015, 195 nations agreed with the united nation that they can change the world for the
better.
This will be accomplished by bringing together their respective governments, businesses,
media, institutions of higher education, and local NGOs to improve the lives of the people in
their country by the year 2030.
Sustainable Development Goals
● Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
● Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
● Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
● Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all
● Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
● Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
for all
● Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for
all
● Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all
● Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation
● Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
● Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable
● Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
● Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
● Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development
● Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land
degradation and halt biodiversity loss
● Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels
● Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership
for sustainable development
WHAT IS CULTURAL LITERACY AND ITS EFFECTS?
● Culture - https://iep.utm.edu/multicul/
The Semiotic Perspective - a culture is defined as a system of ideals or structures of
symbolic meaning. Put differently, according to this view, culture should be understood
as a symbolic system which in turn is a way of communication which represents the
world. This form of communication is based on symbols, underlying structures and
beliefs or ideological principles. One of the philosophers endorsing this perspective of
culture is Parekh (2005). According to Parekh (2005, p. 139), human life is organized by
a historically created system of meaning and significance and in turn this is what we call
culture.
The Normative Conception
The normative conception of culture is usually adopted by communitarians. From this
point of view, culture is important because it is what provides beliefs, norms and moral
reasons, prompting individuals to act. Hence, part of what a person is includes their moral
commitments; their practical identity is made up of these moral commitments, while their
reasons to act are motivated by their moral commitments. In other words, according to
the normative conception of culture, the term ‘culture’ refers to a group of norms and
beliefs that are distinctive and which constitute the practical identify of a group of
individuals; thereby, people’s values and commitments result, in part, from culture
(Festenstein, 2005, p. 14).
The Economic/Rational Choice Approach
Rational choice is a theory that aims to explain and predict social behavior. From the
viewpoint of rational choice, individuals act self-interestedly when they take into
consideration their preferences and the information available. Self-interest means that
individuals tend to maximize what is valuable for them. In other words, human behavior
is goal-oriented. It is goal oriented by its preferences, that is, individuals act according to
their preferences. For instance, if an individual prefers a hot chocolate to a vanilla
milkshake or a strawberry milkshake and all the options are available, he will choose hot
chocolate (other things being equal).
● Cultural Literacy
⮚ Cultural literacy involves “understanding the traditions, regular activities and
history of a group of people from a given culture” (ABC Life Literacy Canada,
2020).
⮚ Hirsch (1983) developed the term "cultural literacy" because people cannot learn
reading, writing, and other communication as skills separate from the culturally
assumed knowledge that shapes what people communicate about.
⮚ Cultural literacy is culture-specific. There are too many different cultures to be
literate in all of them.
● The Effects of Cultural Literacy
⮚ Promotes better understanding and interaction with people from diverse
backgrounds that may be very different from your own, thereby reducing
prejudice and inequality based on culture
⮚ Leads to the development of a range of skills like communication and self-
reflection
⮚ Enhances the value placed on diversity and difference
⮚ Promotes participation in social and community practices
● Cultural Literacy in the Philippines
⮚ The documentation, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture is the
responsibilities of the National Commission for Culture and Arts.
⮚ Philippine Culture-Based Education. In culture-based education, culture is the
core and the foundation of education, governance, and sustainable development. It
seeks to develop among Filipinos a greater awareness, understanding, and
appreciation of our arts, history, geography, and heritage towards the evolution of
a consciousness that will improve the quality of our life. A CBE in the Philippines
envisions to develop a nation of culturally literate and empowered Filipinos who
are not only patriotic and ardent nationalists, but at the same time, responsible and
committed global citizens as well (Lopez, n.d.)
⮚ Legal Foundations of Culture-Based Education:
- 1987 Philippine Constitution: Article XIV
- National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009
- Enhanced Basic Education of 2013: RA 10533 (10.2) Education shall be
gender, and culture-sensitive
WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL LITERACY?
● Multiculturalism as a Describing Concept for Society
The term ‘multiculturalism’ is sometimes used to describe a condition of society;
more precisely, it is used to describe a society where a variety of different cultures
coexist (https://iep.utm.edu/multicul/)
● Multicultural Literacy
⮚ According to Banks (1996), multicultural literacy consists of the skills and ability
to identify the creators of knowledge and their interests, with Boutte (in 21st
Century Education, 2017) adding that it involves uncovering of the assumptions
of knowledge, viewing knowledge from diverse ethnic and cultural perspective,
and using knowledge to guided action that will create a humane and just world.
⮚ Multicultural literacy refers to the skills involved when uncovering bias in regards
to culture, as well as the ability to take different perspectives to gain a more
humane perspective.
⮚ It brings attention to diversity, equity and social justice to foster cultural
awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination and oppression
towards other ethnicities (Boutte, 2008 in 21st Century Education, 2017).
⮚ According to Boutte (2008 in 21st Century Education, 2017), education for
multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21st century skills and
attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work towards
achieving social justice within our communities. Because of the growing racial,
language and ethnic diversity in our country, Multicultural Literacy needs to be
transformed in substantial ways to prepare students to function effectively in the
21st Century (Boutte, 2008 in 21st Century Education, 2017).
WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION?
(StateUniversity.com.)
● Multicultural education is an idea, an approach to school reform, and a movement for
equity, social justice, and democracy.
● A major goal of multicultural education is to restructure schools so that all students
acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function in an ethnically and
racially diverse nation and world.
● Multicultural education seeks to ensure educational equity for members of diverse racial,
ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups, and to facilitate their participation as critical
and reflective citizens in an inclusive national civic culture.
● The Dimensions of Multicultural Education
⮚ Content integration. Content integration deals with the extent to which teachers
use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key
concepts, principles, generalizations, and theories in their subject area or
discipline. The infusion of ethnic and cultural content into a subject area is logical
and not contrived when this dimension is implemented properly.
⮚ The knowledge construction process. The knowledge construction process
describes teaching activities that help students understand, investigate, and
determine how the implicit cultural assumptions, frames of references,
perspectives, and biases of researchers and textbook writers influence the ways in
which knowledge is constructed.
⮚ Prejudice reduction. The prejudice reduction dimension of multicultural
education seeks to help students develop positive and democratic racial attitudes.
It also helps students to understand how ethnic identity is influenced by the
context of schooling and the attitudes and beliefs of dominant social groups. The
theory developed by Gordon Allport (1954) has significantly influenced research
and theory in intergroup relations. He hypothesized that prejudice can be reduced
by interracial contact if the contact situations have these characteristics: (1) they
are cooperative rather than competitive; (2) the individuals experience equal
status; and (3) the contact is sanctioned by authorities such as parents, principals
and teachers.
⮚ An equity pedagogy. An equity pedagogy exists when teachers modify their
teaching in ways that will facilitate the academic achievement of students from
diverse racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and language groups. Teachers practice
culturally responsive teaching when an equity pedagogy is implemented. They
use instructional materials and practices that incorporate important aspects of the
family and community culture of their students. Culturally responsive teachers
also use the "cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and
performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters
more relevant to and effective for them" (Gay, p. 29).
⮚ An empowering school culture. This dimension involves restructuring the
culture and organization of the school so that students from diverse racial, ethnic,
socioeconomic, and language groups experience equality. Members of the school
staff examine and change the culture and social structure of the school. Grouping
and labeling practices, sports participation, gaps in achievement among groups,
different rates of enrollment in gifted and special education programs among
groups, and the interaction of the staff and students across ethnic and racial lines
are important variables that are examined and reformed.
Source: https://media.pearsoncmg.com/intl/ema/ema_uk_he_PX14_edupsych/maps/ch06.pdf
Write-it-up Activity:
Prepare a 2-minute reflection on the effect of globalization and cultural and Multicultural
Literacies to learning.
Chapter Test
1. Describe the following terms: globalization, global literacy, cultural literacy and
multicultural literacy.
2. What are the characteristics of a global literate person? Multiculturally literate
person?
3. Suggest ways in which you can integrate in teaching your field of specialization any
one of the following concepts: a.) global literacy; 2) cultural literacy; and 3)
multicultural literacy. Provide suitable case examples.
4. Identify and describe two challenges in integrating globalization and multicultural
literacy in the K-12 Curriculum.
