Por:  Beatriz Elena Oliver Guerra

El concepto de identidad, para  Mª Angeles Marín, tiene doble acepción, aplicado a un grupo desde la postura de Villoro sería: “Señalar ciertas notas duraderas que permitan reconocerlo frente a los demás, tales como territorio ocupado, composición demográfica, lengua, instituciones sociales, rasgos culturales”; en una palabra, el primer nivel de significado es “identificar”, que quiere decir singularizar. El segundo nivel de significado se refiere a la “representación” que tiene el sujeto, aplicado a la identidad colectiva Villoro la define como: “Una representación intersubjetiva, compartida por una mayoría de los miembros de un pueblo, que constituiría un sí mismo colectivo”. (Bartolomé, 2002).

De acuerdo a los trabajos de investigación realizados por Mª Ángeles Marín en colaboración con Margarita Bartolomé Pina, la definición de la identidad, en sí, es un proceso complejo, ya que ésta podrá construirse desde dos perspectivas determinadas por Villoro como las siguientes:

SINGULARIZACIÓN:

Son todos aquellos rasgos o elementos que la hacen diferente de la identidad de otros pueblos.

AUTENTICIDAD O PROYECTO:

Categorías sociales y culturales que están en continua mutación.

IDENTIDAD TRANSCULTURAL.

El término transcultural significa: “Que afecta a varias culturas o a sus relaciones.” Tomado del Diccionario de la lengua española, 2001.

Al respecto de este tema, Álvaro Estramiana determina que los nuevos referentes de la identidad transcultural estarán determinados por los aspectos culturales y simbólicos de la mundialización.

Hablar de identidad cultural en la postmodernidad no puede deslindarse de los cambios estructurales que han acontecido en las sociedades contemporáneas.

Es entonces el término identidad ¿pasivo o activo?, ¿permanente o cambiante?.

¿La identidad siempre será única o podremos tener identidades multiculturales que se vayan construyendo y cambiando según las circunstancias?

Usted que piensa.

REFERENCIAS:

Bartolomé Pina, Margarita et al. (2002). Identidad y ciudadanía: un reto a la educación intercultural. Recuperado el 18 de agosto de 2009 de, http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=frpk7Q9Cq9MC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Diccionario de la Lengua Española, (2001). Real Academia Española, Transcultural, 22ª Edición, Recuperado el día 18 de agosto de 2009 de, http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=transcultural

The Victorian State Government has basically ignored the request for funding for the “Rise of Atheism” Convention in Melbourne next March, while allocating $4.5m in funds for the “The Parliament of the World’s Religion”.

This decision to basically ignore the funding request shows gross contempt for Atheism and Atheists alike in favour of religion and religious organisations.

See article posted at the convention’s website Atheists Too Hot to Handle for Victorian Government.

Today in the “Comment & Debate” section of The Age devotes an entire column to this injustice. I see this as an odd reaction from the Government, who describes Australia as “multicultural and secular”.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

A lot actually. Or that’s often what parents hope when they name their child. That the name will somehow influence or be a reflection of the person they are going become… strong, creative, one-of-a-kind, successful. More and more we hear about celebrities and their unique choices for baby…Bronx Mowgli, Rocco, Apple. For them, Jane is just, well, too plain.
Often times, names are given so that the child will aspire to be as “great” as his namesake. And in Latin America, sometimes these aspirational figures are not Hispanic ones but ones outside their culture or history. Some even reflect political views of times gone by, but nonetheless remain fixed in current baby name books. Names like Yuri and Lenín for example. I have a second cousin named Lenín (that’s LEH-NEEN, with an accent, not Leh-nin) and know 2 Yuris (YOO-REEH): one from Ecuador and one from Colombia. Sadly, I know no actual Russian Yuris.

In the case of my grandfather, his love for all things “American” played a big role in the naming of his children. Galo Jorge Washington, Tomás Edinson (close enough), Benjamín Franklin and Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, for real. He had great admiration for the U.S. and boy did he show it. (I’d also like to give a shout out to my uncle, Salvador Bolivar, who while not named for an American personality, was in fact named for El Libertador, Simon Bolivar, a great man in his own right. S’up tio!)

We can still see evidence of U.S. admiration today as more and more “American” names make their way into the name registries in Latin America…albeit with “alternative” spellings. Jhonny, Yenifer, Michel. An English name may just give their kids a certain cachet…a je ne sais quoi.

Hoping their kids will stand out, parents sometimes get really, really creative and make names out of other English-language words that sound cool to them. Words that were never meant to be names. Here’s what I’m talking about:
Usnavi- US Navy

Usmaíl- US Mail
Milady- My lady
Yesaidú- Yes I do
Juan Jondre- 100
Crismas- Christmas (I’m not kidding, and wait, there’s more…) his son Crismasito, little Christmas.

I’m waiting for an Obama Pérez, Sánchez, or Gómez to be delivered in a hospital near you. I’m sure it won’t be long. The question is, will it be a boy or a girl?

Mariella Vargas
Creative at GlobalHue Latino

I love food. You may not have noticed, but cooking is one of my passions. We have a friend who says that everyone should have a hobby that they could practice wherever they lived and whatever their age. His is fishing. The Vicar’s is photography (and golf I guess) and mine is completely definitely and utterly cooking (and eating).

Anyway, living in our multicultural neighbourhood has pros and cons for the practise of my hobby. The many positives include:

• A vast selection of spices available in bulk at the local corner shop
• A fab butcher (for chicken, lamb, mutton and fish only) who will chop my meat as I want it for no extra cost
• Cheap cheap cheap onions (in 10kg bags), garlic, fresh ginger and coriander. And milk.
• Exotic fruit and veg available too (big boxes of mangos are a fave)
• Cookery advice from local friends of all cultures

Mine didn't look as fancy as this

On the minus side, yesterday I was in search of couscous. I’d bought my ‘chopped for curry’ chicken on the bone and was looking forward to cooking a Moroccan tagine. But not enough couscous was available in the Vicarage pantry and I didn’t want to trek into town. It’s not like couscous is a matter of life or death or anything. It’s just right with tagine.

So I tried our local Indian supermarket. Because it’s a multicultural area I sort of expect all sorts of interesting foodstuffs to be available easily. But there was no couscous. Not much call for it in our neck of the woods. We have Punjabis, Pakistanis, Kenyans, Jamaicans, Somalis and Polish folk plus many others. But not enough North Africans for the right selection at the shops yet. And they don’t stock parsley either, so if I’m making tabouleh or kedgeree I have to think ahead a bit. Oh the trials.

Maybe it’s not multicultural enough here.

I had this big guy come into my brick and mortar Christian bookstore ( Emmaus Road Christian Store )awhile back and asked me if I had the book “Gracism” written by “Anderson.”  My first thought was he was looking for books written by Neil Anderson and my second thought was “I didn’t know Neil Anderson wrote a book on ‘Racism.’  My first response, of course, was “yes I do!”  In saying that however, I discovered he wasn’t looking for books written by “Neil Anderson” but rather by “David Anderson.”  I’m sure my face had a blank expression on it as I had to embarrassingly ask, “Who’s that?”   He of course went on to tell me that he was “David Anderson.”

In my conversation with David I found that he is the pastor at Bridgeway Community Church and the host of a nationally syndicated radio show called Reconciliation Live.  He and I had a great visit together and in the course of our visit I found out that he owns a vacation home in my area.

David Anderson’s book “Gracism, the Art of Inclusion” is now a part of my store’s library and I must say a very interesting read.  In the introductory section of his book, Anderson states, “Gracism, unlike racism, doesn’t focus on race for negative purposes such as discrimination.  Gracism focuses on race for the purpose of positive ministry and service.”  I like that!  Gracism is for the positive and not the negative.  It is for ministry and service and not for discrimination.

When you look at someone, anyone, what do you see?  What kind of glasses do you have on?  We so often look at people and stereotype people by the way they look.  We have preconceived ideas when we see someone of a “different” race than what we are?  How about those of a different sex, religion, size?  Racism is a sin.  Most of the time people think that racism is a black/white situation.  Racism is far from that.  Yes whites are racist towards blacks, blacks towards whites, whites towards Asians, Asians towards Mexicans, yet get the picture.  Over the course of time we have made many advances towards bridging the gap but we obviously have a ling way to go.  Anderson talks about the “dot” that everyone has.  Some are visible and others aren’t, but we still have them.  David Anderson believes the answer to racism in the world today is “Gracism.”

Anderson defines racism as speaking, acting or thinking negatively about someone else solely based on that person’s color, class or culture.  He states that grace is the unmerited favor of God on humankind.  As Christians we are to extend to others favor and kindness.  Anderson says that when one merges the definition of racism, which is negative, with the definition of grace, which is positive, a new term emerges – gracism (I think David Anderson should trademark the term).  Anderson defines gracism as the positive extension of favor on other humans based on color, class or culture.  We are to extend favor onto others and not have favorites.  This is backed up by scripture such as James 2:8-9.  Does not God show favor on those he chooses to show favor to?

We are living in a rapidly changing world.  There are population projections showing a shift in the numbers of minorities rising and the current majority decreasing.  The point being is that we live in a multicultural society.  David Anderson gives a great insight in this.  This insight is reflected in view of 1 Corinthians 12.  When people read this passage of scripture, they read it in light of spiritual gifts.  David Anderson makes some strong points that yes, spiritual gifts are prevalent in this passage, but so is multiculturalism.  Paul preached to the Jew, the Gentile, the free, the slave, the rich and the poor.  Take the time to open your Bible and read this passage with the idea of multiculturalism in mind.

How is your church doing in view of multiculturalism?  Are your antennas up and are you aware of the diversities that exist within your fold?

David Anderson’s book, Gracism, the Art of Inclusion can be purchased online for only $15.30 at Emmaus Road Christian Store.

If you thought the soft drink giant a.k.a. The Coca-Cola Company couldn’t care less about the growing multicultural crowd, think again. The company this week laid out its vision for the future, which means a “strong focus” on multicultural marketing as soon as … 2020.

But that is not all. As Katie Bayne, CMO of Coca-Cola North America, was quoted saying:

“Our multicultural plans are now 12-month plans. It is no longer Hispanic heritage month followed by Cinco de Mayo [...] We have a deep connection through the World Cup with Hispanic males and through the novelas with Hispanic females.”

No matter Cinco de Mayo (which happens in May) is actually followed by Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept.-October)… Coca-Cola will be using soccer to attract Hispanic men, and novelas to attract Hispanic females.

Yupi! I cannot wait for 2020…

Source: Advertising Age

This continues my musings from last week. 

Despite some misgivings about which language to speak with my children on a day-to-day basis, I have no doubts at all that it is hugely beneficial for them to grow up with more than one language.  So here is a quick summary of the top ten tips that I have learnt from parents, educators, linguists and children too about growing up with many languages.

1)  Speak your mothertongue with them from the start (preferably even during pregnancy)

2) If you aren’t fluent in a foreign language, don’t give up – just build a good support system around yourself.  There are so many resources out there (books, DVDs, CDs, games, neighbours and babysitters) – use them creatively.

3) It doesn’t have to be expensive – many things are available from the library.  You can also do online skillswaps – there are plenty of language classes available in exchange for other skills.

4) There is no single right way to do it – each child, each family, each situation is different.  Find what works best for you.

5) Don’t be intimidated by the science – if you have the willpower and the motivation, you can do it.

6) Motivation is more important than natural talent – any child can learn an additional language if they are exposed to it early enough and if it’s fun enough.

7) Consistency is hard – there are so many reasons to give up, but persevere even when you get discouraged.

Confusion is normal – children will throw in words from different languages, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know the difference.

9) It’s never too late – yes, it does help to start as early as possible, but you can learn a language really well even later in life (you will just have to work harder at it).

10) Enjoy the journey – relax!  Even if your child doesn’t become perfectly bilingual, they will still have a passive language base that they can reactivate and improve at any stage in life.

What experiences have you had in growing up multilingual or raising your children multilingually?  Are there any other top tips you would like to add?

By 2013 we will have established an inclusive culture that embraces a diversity of people in our population and encourages their uniqueness to flourish and enhance our community.

Anyone and everyone! Whether you are secular, religious, spiritual, nondenominational, part of an interfaith or multicultural couple, or if you simply wish to express yourself in a manner of your own choosing, a Celebrant can help you create a ceremony that respects all that is meaningful to you.

My four-year-old said the wrong thing again to me today.  No, he didn’t swear or forget to say please or call  me ‘Egyptian Mummy’  (which is his favourite nickname for me at the moment).  He just said: ‘Can I use blue to colour this in?’  But what upset me was that he said it in English.   Although I was the only other person in the room.  And he knew all of the words above in Romanian.

Since the birth of my older son we have tried to be consistent:  I speak Romanian to the children, my husband speaks Greek and, even when we are all having dinner together, there are three languages going on around the table at any time.  (My husband and I speak English to each other and if the children share a story with both of us simultaneously, they will say it in English too).  On the whole, the strategy has worked well, and the children speak all three languages reasonably fluently.  Recently, however, they have taken to speaking English not only among themselves (which was to be expected), but also to us the parents.

I grew up in a trilingual environment myself, so I thought I had it sussed, but I find myself surprisingly unrelaxed about the whole thing.  I don’t want the children or us to get lazy and revert back to English, because it will be so hard for them to communicate with their relatives and grandparents in Greece and Romania.  I also want them to have the flexibility to live and work in these countries should they choose to do so at some point in the future.  I want them to be able to engage with other cultures at a deeper level, as you can do when you speak other languages.

But at the same time, I fear I may be doing them a disservice.  That, by insisting so much on speaking Romanian, I am actually putting them off using this language.  That, by refusing to speak English except for the purposes of homework, I am putting my son at a disadvantage, not building his vocabulary, not conveying all the tricky nuances of the English language, and – saddest of all – not sharing with him my love of the English language.

Because, if I am honest, it is English that is the language of my heart, even if it is not officially my mother tongue.  I live, dream and write in English;  I clothe my thoughts and feelings in English words.  I have taught English to hundreds of other children… but am not teaching it to mine.  My head tells me it is the sensible choice.  While they are living here in the UK, English will be their dominant language anyway, and I can always explain the mysteries of punctuation and grammar to them.

But my heart is always a little torn when they say something in English and I reply to them: ‘Speak to me in Romanian, please…’

I really liked what my blogging friend had to say about this photo, in which Pres. Obama has recieved a lot of critique for bowing to a foreign leader. Check it out here.

Author: Nalo Hopkinson

Title: Midnight Robber

Genre: Multicultural, LGBTQ Science Fiction

Publication Date: 2000

Number of Pages: 330

Geographical Setting: The Caribbean colonized mirror planets of Toussaint and Half-Way Tree

Time Period: Sometime in the far future

Plot Summary: On the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint, the artificial intelligence of the master computer, called Granny Nanny, watches out for the citizens by recording everything that happens and talking to everyone through nanotechnology in earpieces implanted in everyone at birth. When Mayor Antonio kills the rival for his wife Ione, he escapes prosecution by “climbing the Half-Way Tree” through another dimension to the mirror planet of Half-Way Tree and out of the jurisdiction of Granny Nanny. Antonio tricks his daughter Tan-Tan to come with him, but he soon begins forcing himself on Tan-Tan, saying she looks just like Ione. Tan-Tan finally kills Antonio and escapes to the home of the bird-like douen people, who live far out in the bush. Antonio’s second wife Janisette pursues Tan-Tan, who is also pregnant with Antonio’s child. Tan-Tan assuages her own guilt for killing her father by playing the part of the mythic Robber Queen (a character like Robin Hood based in the Caribbean Carnival tradition), and a whole mythology builds up around this character. For more on Carnival characters, visit this link.

Subject Headings: Caribbean Area, Caribbean Novel And Short Story In English, Multicultural, Jamaican, Canadian, LGBTQ, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Appeal: densely written, leisurely paced, vivid and detailed characterizations, intriguing secondary characters, character centered, layered plot, complex episodic storyline, explicit violence, literary references, mythic, open-ended, sexually explicit, incest, thought-provoking, tragic; detailed setting, exotic, gritty, hard edged; homespun conversational style with a lot of unusual jargon.

3 Terms that best describes this book: Exotic, complex and mythic

Similar Authors and Works (why are they similar?):

3 Fiction Works

Prospero’s Daughter by Elizabeth Nunez (a scientist raises his daughter in isolation in the Caribbean until love develops between her and a boy of mixed race)

Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, edited by Sheree R. Thomas (a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by African-Americans)

The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (Ejii witnesses her father’s murder, sets off to find her father’s killer and awakens her own mystical powers)

3 Non-fiction Works

Talking Taino: Essays on Caribbean Natural History from a Native Perspective by William F. Keegan (A look at the Taino people, natives of the Caribbean before Columbus, and their perspectives on the natural history of the islands)

Masking and Power: Carnival and Popular Culture in the Caribbean by Gerard Aching (A look at masks in the traditions of the Caribbean as a “socially significant practice.”)

Toussaint Louverture: A Biography by Madison Smartt Bell (Biography of a key figure in the Haitian revolution)

Name: Christine E.

by Lisa Parks

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Crown Heights, a Jewish neighborhood in New York City, is experiencing growth from Latino families moving in from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina. Like many Jewish families, they’re big on traditions, only theirs include studying the Torah, keeping the Sabbath, eating salsa and keeping up with soccer scores (CNN.com 9.24.09).
• Married couple Moshe and ChanaLeah Nuñez — he from Mexico, she from Panama — reconnected to their Jewish roots in Crown Heights. And they’re connecting with other Jews online.
• Moshe leads weekly webinars called “Quality Life Now,” focusing on the seven core values found in the Old Testament. They’ve both written and recorded songs in Spanish, English and Hebrew on their album, Kol Haneshema (Every Soul), which they sell over the Internet.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Religious proselytizers are using new media to share their faith universally. Converting to a religion often leads people to want to connect to those in a similar camp; the Internet offers a multitude of ways to reach and be reached by those of devout faith.

RESOURCES

• Quality Life Now
• Moshe Nuñez Music Page

Nelly Furtado gets sexier every day! OUCH!!!
and I love Calle 13.

If you love art, this is the BEST way to see some of the best art in Austin and participate in a lot of fun activities! Don’t Miss the East Austin Studio Tour 2009!!! 9 days of FREE art over 2 weekends!!!

Interested in history? The right trip is here! 10 days getting to know 3 historical cities in Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, Paraty and Ouro Preto.

Tupper Ling, Nancy. 2009. My sister, Alicia May. Ill. by Shennen Bersani. Raynham Center, MA: Pleasant St. Press.

My Sister, Alicia May is a beautifully realistic story of a young girl whose sister has Down Syndrome. Sharing both the good,

“She watches ladybugs warm themselves on our red door. Then she counts their dots: ‘One lady dot, two lady dot, three lady dot,…’ I think God is glad someone notices these things,”

and the bad,

“I slouched down in my seat… ‘Katie,’ I whispered, ‘pretend we don’t know her.’ So we did,”

Alicia May’s sister recounts life with her sister with touching honesty.
The illustrations by Shennen Bersani have an almost photographic quality, realistically portraying the familiar features of a Down Syndrome child, as well as the typical gap-toothed smile of a young schoolgirl, still waiting for all of her permanent teeth. The touching illustrations are a perfect match for the text. Bersani dedicates the book to her own sister, who has Down Syndrome.

In the end, Alicia May’s sister, Rae-Rae, is just as special as Alicia May. A simply beautiful book that will do more to instill a compassion for those with disabilities than any lesson ever will.

They want to eat everyone!!!

Unlike other touristy and “hip” markets, the one in Shepherds Bush is a reflection of a true multicultural and traditional market. But unfortunately, it seems to have lost its true spirit.

Incense was burning, Jamaican music was playing, and colourful Indian shawls were on display. A man was reading at his wonderfully green plants stall, his dog sat peacefully in front of him. The scene made a perfect portrait yet at the same time there was an atmosphere of melancholy.

Despite the market´s variety and good prices, there are not so many shoppers. Could this be because of the new shopping mall Westfield, a five minute walk away?

Jewellery trader Jay Gulati believes that Westfield attracts people to the area and people buy at the market because they find things are cheaper than at the mall.

The bad thing, he says, is that “they go to Westfield first, and then they come here.”

He also believes that the environment could be improved. “They are trying to clean up the area but their actions are not as fast enough. We need to crack down on crime rates and people need to put more work and petition in.” he says. “We’ve got a future here.”

Traders are not happy about the decline in sales.  “I love shepherds bush”, says jewellery trader Cathy Long, “but I would just love it to be busy, how it used to be. The market is very dead at the moment, unfortunately.”

She adds: “We need more advertising and would like to see the market cleaned up. And some new toilets, please.”