© 2002 by Oxford University Press
A critical ‘checkbook’ for culture teaching and learning
1 Miyazaki Medical College in Miyazaki, Japan. Email: michael@post.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
Teachers wanting to insert a ‘culture’ component into their language classrooms could be forgiven for being confused. On the one side, there exists a large body of EFL/ESL scholarship based in cultural anthropology which seeks to isolate the essences of various cultures and aid teachers in applying these insights in their work. The aim of much of this research has been an apparently benign attempt to sensitize teachers and students to cultural differences, and the possible misunderstandings they may cause.
On the other hand, there has recently emerged a body of literature that is critical of much of this approach to teaching culture. Proponents of this critical perspective claim that much EFL cultural research has had the unfortunate result of misrepresenting foreign cultures by reinforcing popular stereotypes and constructing these cultures as monolithic, static ‘Others’, rather than as dynamic, fluid entities. Such representations are often considered by these critics to be politically-motivated constructs that serve to ‘essentialize’ and ‘exoticize’ this ‘Other’.
How, then, can teachers walk what is often a politically-charged tightrope? What follows is an attempt to help teachers bring a balanced awareness of the role and usage of culture into the EFL classroom. Although the examples provided here are largely from Asia, the points made can extend to any culture.
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