Understanding Culture
By Lloyd Kajikawa
Understanding Culture
By Lloyd Kajikawa
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"Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifact; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e., historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning influences upon further action." (Culture and Behavior: Collected Essays of Clyde Kluckhohn. Glencoe: Free Press, 1962.) |
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What is culture? As teachers and students explore and examine the story of Japanese Americans in a pluralistic America, they should be able to identify the traditions, customs and values brought by these immigrants. Students should be able to identify new cultural patterns encountered by immigrants, and how they adapted their own patterns and selectively adopted others. Students will discover that the culture, identity, and history of any group in America is influenced by a mix of "home-country" values, American idealism, and an American sense of place. The educational products developed by the Museum are closely aligned to historical themes and issues and center on the experiences of Americans of Japanese ancestry in a pluralistic America. Using these experiences as a case study, the educational components aim to deepen students’ understanding of United States history through the story of a diverse people sharing common dreams, strengths, and challenges. The learning opportunities help students and teachers grapple with questions such as: What are the common characteristics of different cultures? How do belief systems, such as religion or political ideals, influence other parts of a culture? How does culture change to accommodate different ideas and beliefs? And what does language tell us about a culture? These issues open up inquiry into the past, then broaden the inquiry to understanding the present, and to planning for a "workable future" in which everyone participates. Students and teachers are challenged to examine their own perceptions and interpretations and to learn the role of "world views." There is no single "correct" world view; various and different world views are the very nature of our society. The differences arise out of different historical experiences. The emphasis is not on learning a multitude of “facts” about different life styles, but on comparing and contrasting certain aspects of culture and understanding that are different interpretations of life experiences. It is suggested that teachers and students think of the study of the Japanese American experience as an expedition, a journey. The demand on teachers is not to assume the traditional role of authority and expert, but to join students in exploring while modeling attitudes and behaviors about learning as a life-long pursuit. Another challenging aspect of this study is relating the experience of Japanese Americans to one’s own experiences, either as an individual or member of a group. Lessons are presented in the context of a multicultural understanding of American culture and history. That is to say, the history of the United States is one that includes many groups of people, and each group has a story to tell. For many years the stories told have excluded many groups. As the mission statement makes clear, it is the Museum’s intention to teach the Japanese American experience in order to increase understanding and appreciation for this country’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity. It is within this framework that the concepts of multicultural education reside. While the focus of the educational materials developed by the Japanese American National Museum is on the Japanese American experience, teachers are urged to adapt them for use in studying the experiences of other groups.
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