Defining "Multicultural Literature"

Yokota's own definition of multicultural literature as "literature that

represents any distinct cultural group through accurate portrayal and rich
detail"
http://www.kjodle.net/multicultural/definitions.php
The Role of Multicultural Literature
Cultural Authenticity
o Increase cultural awareness.
o The literature used should accurately portray the history, customs, values,
and language of a particular cultural group.
o Through sharing literature, students can learn to understand and to
appreciate a literary heritage that comes from many diverse backgrounds.
Improves Self-Concept
o Benefits from literature that reflects their own ethnic and cultural background.
o Helping all students develop a healthy self-concept - one that is based on a
knowledge of and a sense of pride in family background.
Promotes Understanding Among Cultures
o Extend students' knowledge about parallel cultures by exposing them to the
differences and similarities between their culture and that of other groups.
o Expand students' awareness and decrease negative stereotyping of
individuals from other cultures.
o Literature can present students with clear contrasts in perspectives and can
help them to understand their own cultural heritages and those of others.
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/multi1.html
IMPORTANCE OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Cultural understanding can be reached in many ways, such as by making
friends with people from different cultures, and by traveling to other countries.
Emphasize the value of good literature, for it can reflect many aspects of a
cultureits values, beliefs, ways of life, and patterns of thinking.
Exposure to quality multicultural literature also helps children appreciate the
uniqueness of other ethnic groups, eliminate cultural ethnocentrism, and
develop multiple perspectives.
Young people learn that beneath surface differences of color, culture or
ethnicity, all people experience universal feelings of love, sadness, self-worth,
justice and kindness
Children have opportunities to see how others go through experiences similar
to theirs, develop strategies to cope with issues in their life, and identify
themselves with their inherited culture.

GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

1. Positive portrayals of characters with authentic and realistic behaviors, to avoid
stereotypes of a particular cultural group.

2. Authentic illustrations to enhance the quality of the text, since illustrations can
have a strong impact on children.

3. Pluralistic themes to foster belief in cultural diversity as a national asset as well as
reflect the changing nature of this country's population.

4. Contemporary as well as historical fiction that captures changing trends in the
roles played by minority groups in America.

5. High literary quality, including strong plots and well-developed characterization.

6. Historical accuracy when appropriate.

7. Reflections of the cultural values of the characters.
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/administrators_meiarticle.mhtml










Common Pitfalls (Mistakes/problems) in Selecting Multicultural Books for
Children
Popular but Problematic Books: The First Pitfall
o In these books, the texts and illustrations together present a set of
images - a particular way of thinking about them, that is inaccurate and
potentially misleading.
o For example, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky is not only seen as historically
inaccurate; it also is viewed as continuing common visual stereotypes
of Native Americans because of its pictures in the book.

Two More Pitfalls in Selecting Multicultural Children's Books
o One is the assumption that a single book about a group can adequately
portray that group's experience. E.g. in a classroom the African American
History Month begins and ends with reading aloud from a book about Dr.
Martin Luther King.
o A single book is unlikely to give an adequate picture of any given culture.
o The other pitfall is the mistaken belief that one can easily find a wide range
of good-quality multicultural literature in libraries and bookstores. Such
books exist in growing numbers, but they are not so readily available as
one might hope.

Availability: A Third Pitfall
o A teacher seeking high-quality multicultural books may be hampered by
lack of author/illustrator recognition and lack of access to small presses
with tiny marketing budgets.
o Availability has little to do with literary content but may affect whether a
teacher even knows a book exists.
o If the book is not visible, despite positive reviews, potential buyers will not
be able to browse through it during their selection processes, and they are
unlikely to know it exists.

A Fourth Pitfall: Time
o Time is the final pitfall; teachers' busy schedules can make the already
challenging task of finding and evaluating good multicultural children's
literature seem overwhelming.

Educators and preservice teachers can keep in mind that learning how to
recognize and share good multicultural literature with children is a process, as is
learning about people different from oneself. Having undertaken it, they can
expect to make mistakes or errors in judgment. When that happens, they can
acknowledge the errors and use them to inform their future decisions.
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v3n2/mendoza.html








Criteria for Selecting Multicultural Literature
Make sure that it relates to the childrens lives.
The characters should be authentic, not stereotyped (Canales, Lucido &
Salas, 2002).
The characters must reflect the distinct cultural experiences and views of the
specific group that is being portrayed
The character representations must be portrayed in a true-to-life and
balanced manner.
The characters and cultures should show both good and bad characteristics
The settings should be consistent with the environment of the culture that is
being portrayed
The themes that are developed within the story must be consistent with the
values, beliefs, customs, traditions, needs and conflicts of the specific culture
The pictures, gender roles, and language characteristics of the cultural group
should be accurate
The literature must be free of stereotypes in language, illustrations, behavior,
and character traits.
The language used must show sensitivity to the culture as certain terms can
be considered very offensive.


Categories of Multicultural Literature
There are four main categories of multicultural literature: racism, poverty,
gender equity, and religious beliefs.
The five main cultural groups included in multicultural literature are African-
American, Latino American, Asian American, Native American, and Jewish
It is also important to include literature about Middle-Eastern, Indian, South
American and other cultural groups.


Barriers in Teaching Multicultural Literature
Insider/outsider status
o The experiences of any cultural group can only be effectively presented
by people who are actually members of that group.
o The outsiders are incapable of empathizing with the experiences of
people who are different from them
The idea of diversity vs. universality
o A risk that celebrating differences may actually build up cultural
barriers.
The idea of informing vs. empowering
o As an outsider to a specific cultural group, we may merely be informing
students about a culture
The idea of empathy vs. defensiveness
o Studies have found that older children become increasingly defensive
about injustices to different cultures, while younger students seem to
express outrage and sadness.


Strategies for Teaching Multicultural Literature
First, it is important to teach book reading behaviors explicitly
o Asking students questions in which answers are found directly in the
text. These are known as right there questions.
Another helpful strategy is the ability to make books come alive for the
children
o Dramatize the stories,dolls and puppets to act stories out to the class.
This helps students form powerful attachments to the literature (Meier,
2003).
Introduce students to literature rather than simply exposing them to literature.
o Introductions suggest pleasant and sustained engagements with
diversity.
o Vital to teach students the connections that they can take from the
literature and apply to their own lives.
Stresses the difference between a Eurocentric vs. Multicentric world view.
o No one piece of literature should speak for an entire cultural group.
o Decentering the local culture by resisting comparisons, which may be
inaccurate, increases students awareness not only of diversity, but of
the culturally constructed nature of ones world view.
Do not simply tell about a story or experience
o Take the time to discuss what you have read as you would with any
good piece of literature.


Classroom Implications
Students need to be able to relate what is going on in the classroom to their
own lives.
Creates a community within the classroom because students learn that not
only are differences tolerated, they are also embraced.
Cut down on the bullying and teasing that takes place in the classroom.
Students will be able to empathize with the injustices suffered by their
classmates.
Students will be better able to work harmoniously in groups.
Pictures can be used as a point of references even if the teacher does not
speak the childs native language.
Pictures also help with comprehension because visual images tend to be
universal.
Students can create family portraits, write essays and poems about family
members, and invite family members to the classroom to see their work
Many students learn that gestures or actions that are acceptable in their
country are not acceptable in America and vice-versa.
Through multicultural literature, you are able to open many doors and cross
over barriers to reach your students.
Provide students with one-on-one instruction about a culture when you may
not be able to find the time.
Open up a world of opportunities to all students.


DEALING WITH SENSITIVE ISSUES USING CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Know the child, know the materials, and use your own judgment.
Respect the young reader, his or her sense of self, and the ability to deal with
a variety of issues in literature and in life.
Provide a wide range of resources that project positive self-images for all
young people.
Respect the literature.
The prime purpose of literature is enjoyment; without that, it is unlikely that
readers will achieve any secondary benefits from a literary work.
Recognize that literary enjoyment leads to the development of an "educated
imagination."
Acknowledge that there is no single meaning or right interpretation of a
literary work.
Recognize that such resources cannot provide sufficient background
information to deal adequately with sensitive issues.
http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/ChildrenLit/issues.html
HOW IS GENDER PORTRAYED IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE?
This bias may be seen in the extent to which a gender is represented as the
main character in children's books and how that gender is depicted.
Numerous studies analyzing children's literature find the majority of books
dominated by male figures
Many classics and popular stories where girls are portrayed usually reflect
stereotypes of masculine and feminine roles
Girls are represented as sweet, naive, conforming, and dependent, while boys
are typically described as strong, adventurous, independent, and capable
Boys tend to have roles as fighters, adventurers and rescuers, while girls in
their passive role tend to be caretakers, mothers, princesses in need of
rescuing, and characters that support the male
WHAT SHOULD TEACHERS KEEP IN MIND WHILE SELECTING CHILDREN'S
BOOKS?
One recommendation is to look actively for books portraying girls/women in a
positive light with active, dynamic roles.
Another suggestion is to look for books and stories that do not portray either
gender in a stereotypical manner.
Teachers can also choose books that have counter-sexist attitudes embedded
in them, such as feminist texts that can help children recognize gender-
stereotypical messages.
Combining traditional and non-traditional books can also spark discussion of
how genders are portrayed in different books.
The message of respect for both genders should be subtly contained in the
texts.
Avoid books that have strident messages on gender equity, as children tend
to reject books that preach.
HOW CAN TEACHERS USE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE TO PROMOTE GENDER
EQUITY?
Scaffolding strategies like the following:
o collectively analyzing gender assumptions in the text
o raising questions about main characters and their portrayal.
o asking children to reverse the genders of individuals, e.g., "What if
Sleeping Beauty was a boy?"
o have children adopt the opposite sex's point of view about a very
gendered issue
Children can discuss a novel
Posing thought-provoking questions and facilitating student exchanges.
Promoting gender awareness and using them to explore issues such as:
respect for yourself and other individuals
Teachers need to recognize that many children may have attitudes that are
gender stereotyped only towards certain issues.
Students need to be allowed to make choices that are consonant with their
own personalities and which are self-empowering.
http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/gender.htm
Issues in Childrens Literature
1. Regression, sentimentality and morbidity in depicting children
2. Eroticizing childhood
3. The entrapment of children
http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/childlit/childhood5.html