Cultural Literacy: Negotiating Language, Culture, and Thought

Our schools see increasing numbers of students who reflect the wide diversity of this country’s population, but too often these differences—culture, language, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicity are viewed from negative or deficit perspectives when they are, in fact, the cultural capital that enriches discussion, broadens viewpoints, and encourages appreciation of difference. The authors examine the different lenses that define culture and identity, discuss the concept of “borderlands” and negotiation of unfamiliar cultures, and the role of the teacher in establishing a climate of openness or perpetuating the status quo.