Evaluating cultural bias in resources

27th February, 2001bb

Cultural bias

Can you recognise it ?

RACISM

Older materials contain more examples of overt racism, as they reflect the attitudes of the time. Racist attitudes are evident when races are said to be superior or inferior, or there is discrimination or oppression and the denial of the basic human rights of a group of people. (McIntosh)

OMISSION

Are all significant aspects of history and culture included? Is there enough detail for understanding?

Do all sides express their point of view?	Or is only one viewpoint given?
Is there information about history and culture before European contact?	Or are the indigenous people ignored? see also Inaccuracy - 'terra nullis'
Are people shown in traditional AND contemporary settings? Rural & urban?	Or are cultural groups shown only in one setting, or only in the past?
Is the complexity of Aboriginal traditional life shown?	Or is it shown to be centred on hunting for food?
Is their social organisation, law, scientific and medical knowledge described?	Or are Aboriginal people presented as lacking these?
Are readers made aware of the positive roles played by Aboriginal people?	Or is Australian history and present day life portrayed without this contribution?
Is the central importance of land for Aboriginal people recognised?	Or is it overlooked?
Are photographs accompanied by captions which name the person or group, indicating where they are from?	Or does the photograph not dignify the person or group with a name and location; not pay the courtesy?

TOKENISM

As a response to criticisms of cultural bias, groups may be included only as a gesture, or an attempt to give authenticity.

Do all people contribute to the storyline, text or illustration?	Or are some scattered through the material for no apparent reason?
Do people interact with each other?	Or are some people passive?
Are all characters developed? Is information about them given?	Or are they described only briefly?
Is the coverage comprehensive?	Or is some information very brief? e.g. a short statement at the beginning.

ETHNOCENTRISM

Something is ethnocentric when one culture is considered as the ideal, or the 'norm', and others are judged in relation to it.

NEGATIVE STRESS

This is an example of ethnocentrism where things like lifestyles and technology are described using the negative.

e.g. no shoes, no tradition of reading and writing, makeshift houses, did not grow crops, under-developed, non-white, economically disadvantaged

PATERNALISM

When a group had a 'problem', there used to be a tendency to blame them for the situation. To resolve the 'problem', the dominating group often saw it as its right and duty to 'help' the group, intervening and making decisions for them.

Are people portrayed as being in control of their own lives and able to resolve any challenges?

Or are problems resolved through the intervention of someone else 'assisting'?

OVER-GENERALISATION

Consider words such as typical of and an example of with care.

Is the diversity of cultures referred to?	Or are sweeping generalisations used, that don't apply to all groups? e.g. 'They played didgeridus.'
Are Aboriginal languages distinguished? e.g. the Kamilaroi language	Or is the number and diversity of Aboriginal languages ignored?
Are actual countries and languages referred to? e.g. Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi	Or are terms such as Asian / South East Asian / Indo Chinese used?
Is the term 'Torres Strait Islander ' used alternately with 'Aboriginal' when both groups are being discussed?	Or are Torres Strait Islander people excluded? e.g. by not being mentioned, or a footnote indicating that the term Aboriginal refers to both, or being grouped together; as ATSI?

STEREOTYPING

When over-simplified generalisations occur frequently, a group begins to be characterised in a certain way. e.g. physical characteristics, personality, social or cultural behaviour, or lifestyles.

Do all members of a cultural group look like genuine individuals with distinct features - hairstyle, skin tone, dress, height, shape, size, facial expression?	Or do they all look the same? Remember 'The Five chinese brothers'? Or maybe the same face is in shadings from black to white, in a tokenistic effort?
Do members of a cultural group display a range of emotions and behaviour?	Or do they all act the same? e.g. Italians emotional
Are people shown contributing to and participating in society at various levels?	Or are they shown in fixed or limited roles; representing only one socio- economic level?
Are people displayed with the whole range of talents, and skills?	Or are there restrictions? e.g. Aboriginal people good at sports/running, art/music.

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Are visual images overused, chosen for their impact or familiarity? e.g. soldiers in Belfast?

EXOTICA

Stereotyping often focuses on exotic, unusual or extreme aspects of culture, sensationalising rather than accepting people who have everyday lives and a variety of concerns.

Are there examples of everyday activities? everyday life? Are peoples' real concerns expressed?

Or is the interpretation romanticised: initiation rites; ceremonies; body ornamentation?

Is there an over-emphasis on boomerangs, nulla-nullas and witchetty grubs etc, which have little relevance to modern life?

Are group members always shown engaged in the same activity?
e.g. Aboriginal men hunting or participating in a corroborree, Greek men dancing

Are cultural props used to define a person as a member of a cultural group?
e.g. bazoukis, spaghetti, feathers and tomahawk
How many times have you seen pictures of Aboriginal men with spears?
How often do you see illustrations of people in 'traditional' costume?

When Bali is studied, it is easy to find woodcarvings and batik? What else is needed?

Is the focus on events or concerns perceived to be important by people outside a culture, neglecting the totality of the culture? e.g. festivals, recipes

TRIVIALISATION

In the past, some people thought there was a scale of development from 'primitive' to civilised'. This is one form of racism that used to occur a lot; when the culture of indigenous peoples was compared inappropriately to other cultures.

Are all cultures represented as valid and worthwhile?	Or is one group shown as superior, more 'civilised' and more worthy?
Is the complexity and uniqueness of societies acknowledged?	Or do phrases trivialise or misinterpret? e.g. 'simple'

PORTRAYAL OF PROBLEMS

Is a diversity of attitudes, roles and achievements reflected? Or is the theme an overused one, emphasising 'problems'? e.g. victims of prejudice, 'outsiders'.

INACCURACY

Are genuine insights given? Or are there inaccuracies and inappropriate information?

Does the material acknowledge that people have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years?	Or does the material perpetuate the concept of 'terra nullis', ignoring prior occupancy? e.g. 'a vast and empty land', 'James Cook discovered Australia.' 'explorers 'discovering' unused land'
Is the material accurate?	Or are there inacuracies? e.g. 'Truganini was the last Tasmanian Aboriginal person.' 'Stone Age' people
Are terms used by the group? e.g. Inuit	Or are incorrect terms used? e.g. Eskimo

EXCLUSION

Some materials about a group are often merely histories of the country of origin.

Are groups within a country depicted as people with a unique culture? e.g. Chinese-Australian

Or are people presented as representatives of their country of origin? e.g. Chinese

Or are terms used such as migrant / new Australian / ethnic ?

Does the term Australian refer to people of Anglo-Celtic descent, excluding others?
e.g. Aboriginal and Australian people were present.

Does the resource imply the desirability of assimilating Aboriginal people?

DEROGATORY LANGUAGE

Labels were applied to groups in times gone by, that are now known to be inappropriate.

'Comical' names have been given to certain (not the dominating) groups. e.g. Oompah Loompahs

Adjectives have been used that are inaccurate and inappropriate.
e.g. treacherous blacks and brave settlers, savage, hostile, primitive, superstitious, strange, quaint

Value laden, misleading or emotionally charged terms have been used.
e.g. tribe for people, nation or group, peasants for farmers or villagers

ATTITUDES TO LANGUAGES

Are characters portrayed as people who can communicate effectively in their own languages?

Is dialogue authentic, valid, appropriate?	Or is the conversation contrived, stilted?
Are dialects and other forms of English accepted as valid, living variants? Written correctly; authentic; appropriate?	Or are they viewed as negative or inferior? poorly written?

AUTHENTICITY and AUTHORITY

Is the author a member of the group written about e.g. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?

If not, what qualifies the author to write about that subject?
ie Do they have the scholarship, experience, skills and sensitivity to present the material?

Has the author, then, consulted with members of that group? Or
Has the material been endorsed by relevant consultative groups?

ie Does the resource acknowledge Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participation in the research, writing and presentation processes?

THUS: Is the material acceptable to the community; indicated by involvement or endorsement?

INAPPROPRIATE PUBLICATION

It's hard to know this, but it is helpful to be aware, and it is another reason for need for endorsement.

Does the material respect the culture?

Or is there information about secret and/or sacred items, practices or sites?

Or are photographs and names of deceased Torres Strait islander and/or Aboriginal people included?

DATE OF PUBLICATION

It is very important to note the date of publication, and consider the knowledge, attitudes and values that were held at the time of writing or production. If a resource was reprinted or re-issued, has the content been revised or updated? - both the text and the illustrations?

Before the 1980s, there was much stereotyping and over-generalisation. More recently there has been writing by, or in consultation with Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people.

adapted by Maggie Roche from

MCINTOSH, J. Taking stock; Assessing materials for cultural bias. Multicultural education Centre. NSW Department of Education, 1984

Selection criteria from A resource guide for Aboriginal Studies and Torres Strait Islander Studies Curriculum Corporation; reprinted in Murra: guidelines for the evaluation of indigenous content on the WWW by Victorian Aboriginal Education Association, June 2000

May Gibbs Memorial Library | Neutral Bay Public School