Resource Library: Culture

What Isn't Cultural Competence?

Being culturally competent or aware does not mean knowing everything about every culture. It is, instead, respect for difference, eagerness to learn, and a willingness to accept that there are many ways of viewing the world.

In the workshops and training I facilitate, I am continually reminding and cautioning participants against overgeneralizing or characterizing cultural groups in a rigid, unidimensional, and static way. Culture is NOT:

• mere artifacts or materials used by people;
• a laundry list of behaviors, values, and facts;
• the pseudo-biological or pseudo-scientific trait of "race";
• the ideal and romantic heritage or experience of a people as seen through music, myth, dance, holiday, and folklore;
• stereotypic depictions of groups as seen in television, movies, newspapers, and other media;
• objects to be bought, sold, and distributed;
• generalized explanations about the behavior, emotions, or values of groups of people sometimes applied haphazardly to individuals; or
• higher class status derived from a knowledge of arts, manner, and literature valued by the dominant society.

Consequently, cultural competence or awareness IS NOT becoming a member of another culture by a superficial, wholesale adoption of elements, such as customs, language, dress, or behavior. Such shallow identification could be manipulative and patronizing. Abandoning one's own cultural identity and substituting another is not a form of respect, but rather a statement that culture can be easily shed. Culture encompasses values, attitudes, and beliefs, as well as customs and behaviors. While the latter ca be readily adopted, the former require deeper and more fundamental awareness and changes. Additionally, cultural competence or awareness recognizes that individuals cannot be categorized into totally discrete groups and that much variability within cultural groups exists. Cultural identification is a complex matrix of intertwining cultural influences that frames individuals' identities and values and influences their choices and behavior in continually evolving and dynamic ways.

For more information on cultural competency, contact:

Family Resource Coalition
Attn: Shay Riley
200 South Michigan Avenue, 16th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604

312/341-0900 (phone
312/341-9361 (fax)