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The Role of Transcultural Education Social Studies Research and Practice www.socstrp.org Turning Culture Upside Down: The Role of Transcultural Education Jerry Aldridge Jennifer L. Kilgo Lois M. Christensen University of Alabama at Birmingham This article explores the adoption of a transcultural education approach, rather than multicultural or intercultural education, and the implications this would have for educational practice. With the multiple issues associated with multicultural and intercultural education, the authors emphasize the need for a definitive definition of the term “transcultural” in the educational literature, as well as a new model of transcultural education. Addressed in the article are: (a) the contribution of transdisciplinary teaming to the definition and practice of transcultural education; (b) the meaning of “trans” in the term, transcultural; (c) a discussion of culture and individuality related to education; and (d) possible conclusions to facilitate dialogue regarding the future of transcultural education. Twelve vignettes are included to provide real world examples of the need for a paradigm of transcultural education. Keywords: transcultural education, transdisciplinary teaming, culture, individuality, paradigm shifts, postmodernism Introduction Approximately 50 years ago, the function of education with regard to culture was assimilation (Aldridge & Goldman, 2007), however, not even assimilation was advocated for all citizens. The integration of African Americans and other minority ethnic groups into public schools was by no means a reality in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement was intensifying as 13 freedom riders traveled from Washington, D.C., to the Deep South, challenging segregation before they were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi allegedly for their own protection. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for nonviolent protests to right the vast injustices and the wrongs resulting from desegregation (McKinstry, 2011). As multicultural education became more popular, numerous misconceptions developed (Aldridge, Calhoun & Aman, 2000). In Europe, “intercultural education arose from concerns that multicultural education failed to address entrenched deficit assumptions about minority groups” (Miller & Petriwsyj, 2013, p. 253). Intercultural education began to distance itself from multicultural education (Gudykunst & Kim, 1984; Gundara & Portera, 2011). Intercultural educators explained they were different from multicultural educators. Intercultural education eventually became defined as education that promotes “deep engagement with diverse cultures and worldviews to enrich children and society, rather than the celebration of differences and the co- existence of various cultural groups” (Miller & Petriwsyj, 2013, p. 253). Intercultural education also has been criticized. According to Paul C. Gorski (2008), “Despite unquestionably good intentions on the part of most people who call themselves intercultural educators, most intercultural education practice supports, rather than challenges, dominant hegemony, prevailing social hierarchies, and inequitable distributions of power and Volume 9 Number 2 107 Summer 2014 Social Studies Research and Practice www.socstrp.org privilege” (p. 515). Attempts to address these concerns and deficits have been made by Gorski. Many of the issues regarding both multicultural and intercultural education remain still. The purpose of this article is to explore the possibility of transcultural education as an alternative to multicultural and intercultural education and what that would mean to educational practice. The term transcultural has been used sparingly in the professional literature with regard to educational practices. Like intercultural education, transcultural education has been used primarily in Europe, and most often with regard to nursing education (Cook, Sheerin, Bancel, & Rodrigues Gomes, 2012). A definitive definition of transcultural education has not been proposed. With multiple issues associated with both multicultural and intercultural education, however, a new paradigm of transcultural education requires exploration. This article is divided into four broad sections. The first two sections are: (a) can transdisciplinary teaming contribute to the definition and practice of transcultural education? and (b) what does the “trans” in transcultural mean? The third discussion section raises questions regarding culture and individuality and their relationship to the purposes in education. Finally, the fourth section provides tentative conclusions to encourage a dialogue and debate about the future of transcultural education. Can Transdisciplinary Teaming Contribute to the Definition of Transcultural Education? Parallels in terminology to multicultural and intercultural education include multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary as applied to teams of specialists who work with children with disabilities. Professional collaboration in special education, however, also incorporates a third model that includes transdisciplinary teaming (Gargiulo & Kilgo, 2014; Kilgo, 2006). Multidisciplinary refers to many; interdisciplinary is between, among, reciprocal or combining individual elements; and transdisciplinary refers to across or beyond (Gargiulo & Kilgo, 2014). Transdisciplinary teaming is different from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teaming because of role sharing and role release. “Professionals in the various disciplines…relinquish their roles (role release) as service providers by teaching their skills to other team members” (Gargiulo & Kilgo, 2014, p. 133). The question that arises is: What does transdisciplinary teaming have to do with transcultural education? The answer lies in a precise definition of what “trans” means. In other words, the field of special education has distinctly defined the terms multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and finally transdisciplinary. If we are to explore how transcultural education would be different or an improvement to multicultural or intercultural education, then we must take the example from special education and specifically define what the prefix “trans-“ in transcultural means. What Does the “Trans-” in Transcultural Mean? The simplest definition of trans is across. Transcultural education would then be across cultures; however, that provides us with limited information. We need more information regarding how we navigate across cultures. In order to delineate more specifically, we will explore five possibilities as to what specifically “trans-” could mean. In order to do this, we have chosen to use the term, culture, as a verb instead of a noun. Culture as a noun implies a fixed entity; however, culture is fluid. Acculturation is something done to our students and to us. If we refer to culturing, then we are discussing actions within and between individuals and groups of people. There are at least five possibilities related to the meaning of “trans-” in transcultural education. These include (a) transferential, (b) transactional, (c) transformational, (d) transmutational, and (e) transcendent. Each of these possibilities will be explored. Volume 9 Number 2 108 Summer 2014 Social Studies Research and Practice www.socstrp.org Transferential Culturing During the course of teachers’ and students’ interactions with others, cultural differences are encountered. How should we act when confronted with a person or group whose transactional styles and expectations are different from our own? This is not an easy question to answer. One answer is through transferential culturing. That would be defined as operating, interacting, or using the dominant culture’s expectations. Dominant in this case means the dominant for a specific group in which others are a minority. Based on the authors’ collective wisdom and many years of direct experience in education, 12 vignettes were developed to provide real world examples. Although these vignettes represent authentic experiences, the identifying information has been changed to protect confidentiality. The following are two concrete examples; one involves a teacher and another portrays a student. Vignette One Mr. Snow is a 21-year-old, new fourth grade teacher at a predominantly African American school in the rural Southern United States. He is one of only three Caucasian teachers in the school, and all but one of his students are Black. Ms. Hughes, age 60, another fourth grade teacher, is Mr. Snow’ mentor. Like most teachers in the school, Ms. Hughes is African American. Ms. Hughes is trying to assist Mr. Snow in what she refers to as “getting control of his class.” She tells him, “You have to be firm. Don’t let these kids run all over you.” While observing Ms. Hughes interact with her own classroom, Mr. Snow in startled by the harsh words Ms. Hughes uses with her students. For example, she says firmly to one girl, “You stop that this instant. You are not the queen bee in this classroom. I am!” With another student she raises her voice and retorts, “You do that again and I will knock you into next week.” Ms. Hughes’ students seem to respect her and realize she cares for them. Still, Ms. Hughes’ discourse with her students is more indicative of the way African American parents in this particular community interact with their own children. Mr. Snow does not feel comfortable using this form of discourse, which is a distinctly local African American style. What should Mr. Snow do? If transcultural means transferential culturing, then Mr. Snow would follow Ms. Hughes’ suggestions and code switch. Code switching
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