Cultural Transformation, Education and Society

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”- Robert A. Heinlein. Our authentic culture is slowly dying. Centuries of interactions grounded in our history of enslavement and colonialism have shaped what we now refer to as the Jamaican culture. The values and attitudes of the old Jamaica are slowly being replaced by divisive and negative ideals. Integrity and morality are no longer seen as worthwhile principles; instead the get rich by any means dictum has become the altar of success. Today’s students know more about their neighours in the North than they do about their rich culture. The teaching of history education remains optional and this without a doubt is just one of the contributing factors for this new Jamaican culture. The powerful cultural forces from the North have penetrated and saturated our culture in all its facets. How we eat is directly related to the proliferation of the fast-food industry that has its roots in North American culture. As a result we have become overweight and obese. The manner of our dress and deportment are also closely linked to external cultural forces. Interestingly, while we are so eager to embrace foreign ideologies and cultures, the outside world see the value and worth in our culture. Hollywood has embraced and continues to monetize our culture on the silver screen. Cultural penetration is real and is on-going. Cultural penetration refers to a crossover of cultural elements into a society where it did not originate. The term is predominately used to illustrate the fluid nature behind the transfer of ideas and the effects of interaction. Examination of Culture. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, culture can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group. Additionally, the ever increasing era of globalization has increased the power of cultural penetration. Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London states that culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones among other social indicators. In order to stem our cultural hemorrhaging we must return to our core principles. One such is that of the teachings of Marcus Garvey. Garveyism, within the Afrocentric context, views the liberation struggle in terms of African nationalism versus European nationalism. Garveyism is based on the significant fact that African peoples have been oppressed, exploited, and dehumanized to a greater degree than any other race or class of people in the history of mankind and that our Africanity is deeply rooted in our common suffering and racial heritage. We have been socialized over the centuries to hate our black skin. This indoctrination is at the forefront of the skin bleaching phenomenon that has overtaken large segments of our population. There are those who are on a path in pursuit of ‘whiteness’ at all cost. As a result they have turned their backs on our authentic culture. As we continue to debate the function of education we must look at some of the theories of education. Functionalists see education as a beneficial contribution to an ordered society. Functionalists believe schools prepare students for the workforce in part by teaching attitudes, technical skills and social behavior appropriate to the work place such as, cooperation and gender- appropriate attitudes. Functionalists also believe that schooling serves to reinforce the existing dominant social and political order. On the other hand, Conflict Theorists focus on conflicts and tensions that characterize social systems. They believe that the educational system reinforces and perpetuates social inequalities that arise from differences in class, gender, race, and ethnicity. Conflict Theorists argue that schools are sites of conflict. Regardless, of where you stand concerning the function of education it is obvious that we need to revisit the education system regarding the preparedness of our students as it relates to both the formal and hidden curriculum. Becoming. The late Professor Rex Nettleford left us with a rich legacy grounded in culture and language. Nettleford popularized the term ‘smadditization’ of the Jamaican culture. “Smadditization,” is derived from the Jamaican vernacular word, “smaddy,” which in translation, means “somebody.” Consequently, smadditization refers to the process of becoming or being acknowledged as somebody. This implies that personhood had previously been denied or unrecognized. Nettleford, was concerned about the state of the Jamaican culture in particular when he spoke about “the coarsening of our sensibilities” which bemoans the lack of sophistication within the culture. Sadly, examples of this lack of civility are observed daily on our roads, in our schools, communities and in other public spaces. It is very obvious that we have a reactionary education system and that many of the social ills within the society are not been impacted by our education system. In as much as the curriculum should address the academic well-being, we must also ensure that the personhood of the student is developed and catered to. There is a huge disconnect regarding the state of the Jamaican culture and to what extent the education system is responsible for same. Crudeness, coarseness, impoliteness and dishonesty are the order of the day. However, all is not lost. Nonetheless, the society must take some time to reflect and decide on the path to tread especially given we are merely six years away from Vision 2030 Jamaica. Vision 2030 Jamaica is the country’s first long-term strategic development plan and covers the 21-year period, 2009-2030. It embodies the plans and processes for the realization of a collective vision, encapsulated in the statement: “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.” Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to infuse Garveyism into the National Standards Curriculum in order to save our students from the ideals and ideologies which are not germane to us. The teaching of Civics should be taught as a separate subject at both the primary and secondary levels and students should be tested at the national level. Socialization. What is urgently required is a cultural transformation to stem the hemorrhaging of our culture. Our values, mores and norms all need to be revisited. In order to have a successful cultural transformation a robust and responsive education system is needed. Sadly, too many students are not being positively impacted by the education system. What is needed is an education system that is laser-focused and that takes into account the unique learning styles and socialization of the sexes. Many of our students are uninterested in what is being offered by our education system. Subsequently, many students have become: delinquents, school drop-outs and have run afoul of the law among other negative behviours. Boys, in particularly are turned off and have tuned out. Many of our students have identified other pathways to eke out a living and for many it’s worth the time to explore. Additionally, popular culture especially through the genre of dancehall music continues to send conflicting messages to our students. The fact is teachers are no longer seen as role models. For many students the pursuit of an education is a long term investment which they are not willing to wait on. Regrettably, many of our students are for the short term successes which are available on different pathways. An issue of major concern is the state of families. Undoubtedly, a significant number of Caribbean families are dysfunctional and this allows for the chronic state of delinquency among the youth population. As a society we must ensure that a calculated and determined effort is put in place to guarantee that all students benefit equally from our education system in order to close the cultural deficit that most societies are now experiencing. In the words of Professor Rex Nettleford, for all of us who tenant the Americas are the creatures of that awesome process of ‘becoming’ consequent on the historic encounters between diverse cultures from both sides of the Atlantic in circumstances that, for all their negative manifestations, have forged tolerance out of hate and suspicion, unity within diversity, and peace out of conflict and hostility. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #culture #socialization #education