SCET Journal 2020

Broadening Diverse Perspectives

Conclusion As eminent scholar of multiculturalism, Sleet- er notes (2017), “It is imperative that education develop students’ ability to communicate with, empathize with, and hear perspectives of people who differ from themselves” (n.p.). We believe it is also imperative that teachers and students transcend essentializing habits of mind. Through literature, we are able to learn that while most Blacks and some Latinx can trace their roots to Africa, evolving histories, shifting geogra- phies, and other socio-political variables inform their consciousness and impact their ways of being/seeing/knowing/expressing/surviving/ representing. We have attempted to provide a few suggestions to get readers started. It is our hope that many would find the few titles on the list useful. Our aim is to drive home the point that even within one racial and/or cultural group there is inherent diversity and this should be reflected in our curricular decisions. Hopefully, this may help our students to further cultivate a mindset of inclusion.

Latinx: How do writers imagine Latinx? How might readers read Latinx images of Europeanness/Blackness/Afri- canness? What do you want students to learn about Latinx culture in the US; in the Diaspora; across South and Central America? How do you want students to feel about this group of people? How would your selection effect social change? This will determine how you select texts. Some suggestions of possible book titles follow in Table 2 below. These may vary based on your purpose and curricular design. Suggested book titles on Latinx cultures Region Country Author & Title The Caribbean Cuba Margarita Engle: Enchanted Air

Central America

Ecuador

Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango: The Queen of Water

North America

Dominican Community

Elizabeth Acevedo: The Poet X

South America

The Amazon Isabel Allende:

The City of the Beasts

Table 2

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?language=en

May, S. (2003). Critical multiculturalism. Counterpoints, 168 , 199-212.

Showalter, E. (2003). Teaching literature . Blackwell Publishing.

Gay, G. (2011). Teaching to and through cultural diversity. Curriculum Inquiry, 43 (1), 48-70.

Sleeter, C. (2017, January 15). Impact of ethnic studies on attitudes . http://christinesleeter.org/ethnic-studies-on- attitudes/ State Government Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2008/2014). Advice for schools when teaching cultural diversity . https://www.education.vic.gov.au/ Documents/school/teachers/support/culturaldiversityadvice.pdf

Hopkins-Gillispie, D. (2014). Curriculum & schooling: Multiculturalism, critical multiculturalism and critical pedagogy. The South Shore Journal, 4 , 1-14. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/ journals/index.php/ssj/article/download/13409/19652

2018/2019

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