Group 9 - Anna Palva (SF), Bart Ketelslegers (B), Melissa Verkley (NL), Mira Van Olmen (B)

Paper for the module on Learning in a multicultural society

February 1999 - Montpellier

Outi Aitio
Adelina Garcia
Anne Mariën
Liesbet Wouters

We start with the basic question: "What is culture?". We had a long and multifaceted discussion about different cultures in our own countries: Belgium, Finland and Spain. It seems very obvious that we have different opinions of what culture is or what it means to us. Some defined culture with words as language, religion and history while others preferred the words lifestyle, habitus and identity. But not for everyone it means a high national feeling. Some prefer to be a part of Europe rather than of their own country. One of us said: "For me, as a Finnish person, it is a big surprise. To me being Finnish is a very important and clear thing. Of course it depends on the person and not all Finnish have such a high national feeling, but in general I would claim so". We were also discussing that it depends on the place and time how you describe culture. For example if we go to America, we all feel very European. Finally we agreed that it's a kind of "feeling" inside you. This feeling is different for everyone.

The second question we want to state is "What is multiculturalism?" With regard to it, Nathan Glazer writes in his book ’We are all multiculturalist now’ that "multiculturalism is just the latest in a sequence of terms describing how American society, particularly American education, should respond to its diversity". (Appiah 1997, 1.) It isn’t certain that this statement can be generalised to the European situation. However this isn’t the issue here. One likes to talk about cultural diversity as being the cause and reason for the actual problems. But following Glazer, we focused ourselves on the diversity of identities in stead of on the cultural diversity. Is there a connection between identity and culture?

Dr. Ortfried Schäffter explained to us the theory of selfhood and strangeness. This theory claims that culture is only one part of identity. A person has different levels of identity, starting by the deepest level they are: organism, psychic system, person, family, social group, organisation, milieu/lifestyle, ethnic group, nation/people and culture. According to Schäffter, culture refers more or less to the different continents of the world. One can speak of a European culture, an Asian culture, etc. This theory of identity levels gives us an answer for our different feelings of culture as we met before in our group discussion. We all have a different background. Following Schäffter this is not a cultural difference, since we are all Europeans. We all though have another family, belong to different social groups, etc. Our identity has in each level an individual history. Therefore our experience of life and outlook on life is deviant from others. We want to put attention on the fact that we define culture in our paper as a feeling inside of us. This feeling combines different levels of identity.

Is it true that your nationality or culture defines i.e. whether or not you are a good worker? Or do you have to live according to the habits of the majority if you belong to the minority? Our group had a long discussion on this subject. We agreed on people’s human rights, but we had a little disagreement on the strategies used to put into practice an equal society. Dr. Ruud van der Veen explained to us different strategies to deal with multiculturalism. These strategies are: equality of opportunities, positive discrimination, pride in culture and cultural encounter.

Our group stresses on positive discrimination as a starting point. Positive discrimination is a tool to give the minority the same rights and possibilities as the majority has. For example some organisations want to employ a certain amount of migrants even if there are unemployed persons in their own nationality. But to some positive discrimination is still discrimination. So do we think, but because there aren't equal rights or opportunities it has to be done. It is a way to achieve an equal starting point. When this is realised, you can make use of the more interesting strategy of equality of opportunities. The state can offer everybody i.e. basic education, counselling at the job and other information to give everyone equal possibilities to develop oneself. One reaches an educational- or working level by proving his/her own abilities. When migrants have the same chances to develop their abilities, prove them and get them recognised by society, there is no need any more for positive discrimination.

We see the third and fourth strategy as supporting the achievement of equality of opportunities. Cultural encounter gives you a possibility to get to know the people around you better and understand more of their behaviour and habits. While facing different cultures you are challenged to face your own strangeness. We think that this is very important because facing strangeness means also facing your identity. It is the way to get to know yourself better too.

We had disagreement about the fourth strategy: cultural self-organisation. Some of us would like to stress on that because everyone should have the right to present his own lifestyle, no matter where they live. Others saw the topic differently and can't accept that some persons get money from the state without clear willingness to look for a job. Are we only envious for their lifestyle? Some think so, others don't. But of course we have to see both the positive and the negative side of self-organizationing, as in all these strategies. We find support for this in the article of Appiah. He makes a distinction between two kinds of multiculturalism. On the one hand there is a liberal form which means everybody is open-minded and related to other cultures. The learning process in this form can be seen as bi-directional. On the other hand there is an illiberal form of multiculturalism where you also learn about other cultures, but where you don't put your own culture into question. These two forms of multiculturalism are seen by us as two sides of one "continuum" of multiculturalism and could be taken into account for the four strategies. Each of them can be applied in a more liberal and illiberal way.

Dr. van der Veen said: "Education is deeply involved in the debate about cultural diversity". We think that by educating people we can show them all kinds of possibilities. They should learn that life is not just coloured in black or white. Education can help people face the strangeness represented in cultural diversity. Van der Veen continues that: "There are in education, also in adult and continuing education, quite different approaches. Like we have already explained before, some approaches concentrate on economic discrimination, some on moral and personal issues. Some defend forms of positive discrimination. Some, particular state officials, stress multicultural and intercultural approaches. Others, particularly monocultural organisations, stress the education in their own language, religion and traditions".

Our group discussed the methods of teaching in multicultural society. We want to return to individualised and self-directed learning as we discussed in our first paper. We defined individualised learning as the educational settings in which the characteristics of the learners are taken into account. Different media and strategies are used, according to the preferences of the participants. Self-directed learning consists of two steps. The first step refers to the participant defining his own learning needs. The second step involves the actual learning. On the one hand he resolves the existing need, on the other hand he gets to know the most sufficient way for him to learn things.

To make these two attitudes possible, you need a teacher who gives an answer to the high expectations and demands. As a teacher, or we prefer the words ’tutor’ or ’mentor’, you should be aware of all the diversities of identity and the specialities each of your students has. This might be especially important in multicultural education, because the participants have totally different backgrounds. Also in the courses given by Dr. Julia Spinthourakis we were reminded to the differences in kinesics, gestures, proxemics, eye contact, etc. between different groups. Referring to the interesting point Schäffter made though, we feel the need not to exaggerate the meaning of the participants being multicultural. There are many levels of identity constructing your selfhood beside culture which are just as important. It’s only another element that the mentor has to take into consideration. But it must be clear that this isn’t an easy job. The mentor has to try to understand people starting from the theory of levels of identity. The participants in most cases can’t be bothered by describing themselves on these levels. The mentor has to take in consideration these determining levels. Although adult education should stimulate learners to achieve more and/or a higher level of knowledge, you must be aware that these levels also set boundaries to the abilities and expectations of the participant. This opinion harmonises with the idea that these two attitudes aren’t a goal in themselves. They can also exist separate from each other. They can both cover a wide range of degrees of fulfilment. It isn’t necessary for someone to reach the highest possible level in the range. It should therefor not be forgotten that the two attitudes pose requirements for the learner. Focused on multicultural education, it’s important that the learner has knowledge of his own identity and especially, in meeting other cultures, dares to ask questions about himself. We already mentioned that this is easier said than done. Again the teacher has an important role to diminish or help people conquer their fear and anxiety for everything that is new, so that an efficient learning process can take place.

4.3.1999, Montpellier

Carme Anguera Iglesias (Spain)
Kalle Mäkinen (Finland)
Karen Soeteman (Netherlands)
Kristel Janssen (Belgium)
Lilianne Hercules (Netherlands)

1. To be or not to be, that is the question!

During this module we have been confronted with different perspectives/theories about understanding the multicultural society. All these theories/models had a different focus on the same subject. This made it very interesting because through the "stories" of the 3 coordinators we got the pieces of the puzzle we now can construct ourselves. In this puzzle we can find/detect economic, socio-political, cultural, historical, sociological, linguistic (communicative), psychological aspects.

All those perspectives try to structure and order the reality of a multicultural society by using distinctions and categories (like: group-individual, culture-identity/selfhood-alterego, homogenity-heterogenity, similarity-diversity,......). These categories are needed and useful to give meaning to, to analyse, to get a clearer view on the very complex reality that was the subject of this module.

But maybe it is interesting, at this point, to leave the categories for what they are (artefacts) and try to get a grip of the picture that is in the puzzle as a whole and the ‘who’ and ‘what’ (that is) behind the picture.

What we can see, is [an entity: you can fill in with every level of identity which O.Schäffter discussed)] a person, a human being who is living in this multicultural society and who gets confronted in every day life with the growing complexity of this society.

Constantly, ‘surfaces of irritation’ occur, not only between people of quite different cultures (allochtone-autochtone) but also between people of the same ‘cultural group’ and within peoples own identities (spheres of selfhood), because everybody is part of different cultures and subcultures (families, religions, ....) and at the same time everybody has different roles in life ( father, manager, wife, friend,.....).

So, if we think about this, experiences of strangeness are very common for everybody -often without knowing it, without being aware of it- these experiences are an essential part of our human existence. So maybe it is important for us to become aware of our experiences of strangeness. Even more today because we think that these experiences are only more extreme, deeper and more confronting or more obvious if we have contact with somebody of another culture (globalization process). This can be the first step in understanding and overcoming difficulties and in finding a ‘new modus vivendi’.

The question that arises out of this context, out of this given reality is the famous phrase of Shakspeares Hamlet: ‘To be or not to be’ ... in the sense of ‘being able to or not to’ survive in the multiculturality, as an aspect of the post-modern society.

2. Learning in a multicultural society: adult education has a task

Arriving at this point, adult education can play a very important role. In fact, we think, adult education has a crucial task to stimulate, activate, and support (in a cooperative way) people in obtaining the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to act and react in a responsible way in multicultural- intercultural situations.

We see the following tasks for adult education.

knowledge about:

- the ongoing process of integration and discrimination between people
- other and own culture
- modes of experiencing strangeness

2) skills in:

- negotiation
- communication
- reflection
- sensitive treatment of foreignness

3) attitudes towards otherness:

- respect
- tolerance
- openness
- integrity

To organize a learning environment, Ruud Van Der Veen presented, in the beginning of this module, 4 different educational strategies (to combat discrimination). If we use these strategies we have to be aware of the different ideologies that are behind them:

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Migrants in Finland, Belgium, Spain and Germany

2. THEORETICAL PART

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Definitions

2.3. Reflections in modes of experiencing the strangeness

2.4. Multicultural society and problems

2.5. Reflections for the future

3. PRACTICAL PART

3.1. Problems with the second generation

3.2. Changing attitudes

3.3. One variation of steps for the minority

3.4. One variation of step for the majority

3.5. The role of Adult Education in a multicultural society

3.6. One example of a multicultural training program

4. CONCLUSIONS

4.1. Life is closing and opening the borders

REFERENCES

The right to learn is a human right, but if you are outside of the society you often cannot use this human right.

Nowadays people come more and more from poor places of the world into the more attractive rich European countries. Whether or not it is comprehensible and understandable, it creates many problems on both sides. Different cultures push on top of each other.

The emigrants have different levels of education and often the people don’t speak the language of this new land. In this respect they are discriminated still before they have reached their new home country. Perhaps one can generally say that the degree of discrimination often depends on the individual educational development.

On the other side the Europeans themselves are confronted with many new cultures too. Often they are afraid of their own culture, values, work, security and changing of old habits. In one word they are afraid of foreignness and unknown strangeness. They also need information, education and clearing up. They have to learn to handle with the new situation and perceived strangeness so that it doesn’t feel to be dangerous.

In what follows we are going to discuss the theories and practice concerning the learning in a multicultural society. But first a short introduction of immigration in each country that is represented.

1.1. Migrants in Finland, Belgium, Spain and Germany

Finland

Immigrations to Finland has been small but increases as we are a member of European Union and EMU. Our economic base is good for companies to build up a market. In many ways Finland is the port for other countries to enter the Russian market and this part of the world. Russia is in need of infrastructures, products and network-systems. The Finnish capacity to welcome foreign companies increases at the same time.

The main part of migrants in Finland are entering the borders from the east. In avoiding environments with only migrants (ghetto) the goal is to integrate them in as many parts of Finland as possible. Families are together moving but here is a problem with some of the Africans cultures where the families are a never-ending family. The government is offering supports like accommodations and grants for daily living. In return the migrants have to take part in training programs like learning about the Finnish society and language. If the environment is Swedish the migrants have to learn the Swedish language also!

The cultural activities are placed in certain organisations, and during the summer multicultural happenings are arranged in the marketplaces.

Migrant-problems in Finland are obvious in some part of the country and can be remarked as violence against for instance black persons. The skinhead attacks are few but it could be a growing incident that can include the whole country without the government protection. Also fear against strangers appears like silence and not recognising the migrant when he/she is entering a shop. If there is a group of migrants talking and laughing, the fear appears because the majority does not understand the language, the customs and the behaviour of this group.

Finland’s short independence, since 1917, have to be remarked as on one hand a capacity of learning and opening the horizon and on the other hand a fear for a big brother or a foreigner. In the history Sweden and Russia have tried to incorporate the country during several centuries but Finland asked themselves once : »We are not Swedish, we don not want to be Russians, so why not be FINNISH ! ! » To achieve this state the main goal has always been diplomacy in every matter. For diplomacy there is a need of language, Swedish, English, German, French and of course Russian. Learning languages was an important part of the Finnish culture, which flourished during the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century before the first World War .

The migrants from Russia are an ever increasing group in Finland. Often it is not migrants that are poor or low-educated. The behaviour tells that they may have a knowledge about several subjects that never have been discussed in the society. The great taboo in Finland is still how to deal with people that for about 50 years ago bombed Helsinki? One generation before carry these deep injuries in their mind trying to forget. For this reason it can be a solution to handle these matters in programs of adult education and open the Finnish culture to other kinds of perspectives. But first there is a need of knowing your own culture!

Belgium

After the Second World War there was a migrant-stream entering the country which included men from Italy, Spain and Greece. In the 1960’s and 1970’s a second immigration-stream entered the country from Turkey and Morocco. All of these people came to work in the mines. In 1970’s and 1980’s the families of these men entered Belgium. Migration through marriage was also one form of immigration.

In the 1990’s the mines were closed and the consequence was unemployment and a loss of income.

The government approach in matters of the migrants has been to give the 3d generation of migrants automatic citizenship and are thus naturalised as a Belgians.

Immigrant-groups in Belgium are Moroccans, Turkish, Jews, Italians and in certain cities these groups have experienced a policy of repression (violence of police) and are creating "ghettos". The Jewish are an exception concerning migrants because they create their own income. In big cities no extreme right can be seen. In the big cities the problems are not only migrants but also refugees for example from Kosova.

The position of governmental support is that grants are usually small for renewal of some neighbourhoods for instance north of Brussels. Antwerp has neighbourhoods of migrants from Morocco, Turkey and Jewish and Gypsy’s. To integrate the migrants the majority has to create solutions for their changing of attitudes. In short the borders are closing more and more and the policy of asylum is very tough.

Definition of culture: Culture is communication and communication is culture. Culture is not only one concept, it is many concepts. The 10 basics! Culture is learned and shared behaviour. (se Culture paper)

It is easy to discuss for others who are not living in this situation of migrants. The majority will have a future with many opportunities and the migrants are not making a concurrence because they are seen as a lower class. This may be the form of discrimination called "racism". When these practical problems are solved by social-workers together with educators (or trainers) the goals can be achieved. The field-visit to Paillade was an interesting way of giving one solution of these problems that educator and trainers are at this very moment working on in France!

Referring to our conclusions it might be better to start in small things but in many fields of economical, social and educational systems. The global idea is to build up the situations for each person in all of these three fields at the same time. The social-worker can get councils from the educator and vice versa in the organisation.

Different steps of education are to be distinguished and the individual training program goals start by learning basic roles for instance by working in restaurants and of course learning the language.

Spain

Spain is a country with a central government. There is a constitutional monarchy in a democratic system, but formed by different autonomic communities. Each of them has their own concessions to govern some aspects. The official language for the whole country is spanish, but it is co-official with other languages in some regions like:

Galicia: "gallego"

Euskadi: "euskera"

Catalunya / Illes balears / Pais valencià: "catalia"

Apart from the Peninsula there are some regions in Africa pertain to Spain like:

Ceuta

Melilla

Islas Canarias

There is also a zone in the Peninsula (apart from Portugal) that pertain to the United Kingdom, Gibraltar. The official language in Gibraltar is English and there are another government and other customs. This region is little but important because of the narrow strategic position to Africa?

After the dictatorship of Franco the nationalism in zones with different languages has increased and the existence of independent parties is obvious. In Catalunya during the 1950’s and 1960’s a lot of migrants from Andalucia / Extrewadura (south of Spain) and from Galicia moved because of the industrialism. Cities were built to these people and was like "ghettos" and they were seen as migrants even if their language was Spanish, i.e., Badia del Vallis and L’Hospitalet del Hobregat. In Euskadi exists problems of violence and these problems have been activated by a terrorist-group, ETA, during the dictatorship. Even nowadays in the time of democracy these groups have been active.

The general culture comes from the catholic tradition with customs, churches, religions, parties and holidays etc. but minorities from other traditions exist. The Gypsy culture and Gypsy communities are spread all over the country. Their nationality is Spanish but they are in marginalized because of their culture, customs etc.

Migrants from other countries:

African (over the coast? in the coast) and Arabs (overcoat from Morocco). These groups have difficulties in finding work.

South-Americans with families and with better possibilities to manage in Spain partly because of having the same language and mostly because of having more money.

Japanese with good conditions and are not seen as a problem of immigration.

Refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina; the last year was the time to return back.

Spain has also been an example of emigration and this is important to mention while analysing the situation of migrants in Spain. To understand migrants in Spain one cannot forget the emigration part. During the dictatorship a lot of "exiled" went to France and during the Civil War people emigrated to Germany and South of America to earn money and have a better life.

Recently arguments of closing the borders because the high level of unemployment has aroused. The right party (Pateras) are for closing the borders. The problems with young people joining the group of "skin heads" has also been obvious.

Germany

Many foreigners live in Germany especially in Berlin. A lot of them came in a time in which Germany had a lack of workers (1960-70). The most foreigners are Turkish and they have already lived in the second and third generation in Germany. One could think they are integrated after so many years, but that isn’t the case. The opposite apply to for many of them. They revive old home traditions and go back to a conscious isolation. They dream new dreams from a return to their old home country.

One reason could be that most of the first emigrants belonged to the rural population of Turkey and thus they are more anchored in old traditions.

Some parts of Berlin (Neukoeln, Wedding) there are living more than 50 per cent foreigners.

It is a difficult situation on both sides. Especially the distinction in many fields of lifestyle leads to tension between the people i.e. : Many Turkish women it is not allowed to go outside without their man or to meet friends alone outside of the own houses. It is very hard to understand for German woman because we nowadays fight still ever for the complete equality for women.

The high unemployment in Germany causes a more critical mutual observing. The danger is in such a situation in tension that single acts of abuse (abuse of welfare) may form a general judgement about foreigners.

Position of the government in Germany

Nowadays is discussed the double citizenship in Germany. After the change of government last year the social democratic party is in power. They would like import that foreigners can have two nationalities the German (where they live) and the nationality of the home country of their parents. The goal shall be more freedom and less pressure for a fast decision for them. But a result is still open, because there is not an agreement to expect in short time.

2. Theoretical Part

2.1. Introduction

Nowadays the continents and spheres of life are on the « Spaceship Earth » interconnected in an ever closer net web of mutual dependencies. What up to now seemed historical and spatial far away appears now increasingly more intensive through proximity. Foreignness is not longer only a exclusively spatial tension, but more and more appears as a "potential conflictual contemporality of different contexts of meaning, between which often lies an unbridgeable historical distance". Our spheres of life have less and less clear separation of "interior" and "exterior". Following areas of overlap arise. Foreignness is perceived more intense through spatial nearness and "only through direct contact do we become sensitised for the significance of incompatible "intrinsic times". The development towards overarching contexts of experience doesn’t create "greater unity; uniformity, or universal accord, but rather to an increase and intensification of rifts between what is perceived as "one’s own" and what is experienced as "different in kind"." Former times where the strangeness was looked for in a distance is finished nowadays.

There are different kinds of strangeness not only spatial distinction, but also between another person (a man towards a woman, grandfather towards grandchild) or foreignness towards yourself.

2.2.1. The foreign as that from some place else

There is a clear different between inside and outside. The border divide between accessible and inaccessible.

2.2.2. The foreign as the alien

The foreignness appears as unnormal and unconform in contrast to your own.

2.2.3. The foreign as the still unknown

This kind of foreignness refers to the different between unknown strangeness and perceived strangeness. It is a part of my identity to know what I know and what I don’t know. Here is the possibility included the still unknown to change in known.

2.2.4. The foreign as the ultimately unrecognisable

This kind of foreignness includes unknown strangeness. I have never the possibility get to know it. For my identity is it very important to learn my limitation.

2.2.5. The foreign as the uncanny

This kind of foreignness includes the experience that "one’own" and familiar may become foreign. The border between inside and outside get lost and the home becomes uncanny.

If one have a strangeness incidence it is depends on the level of identity how one reacts and feels in this especially situation. It is important to know which different levels push in top of each other to understand the concrete case. There are:

Organism

Psychic system

Person

Family

Social group

Organisation

Milieu/ Lifestyle

Ethnic group

Nation/ People

Culture

2.4.1. Foreignness as Sounding Board of the self

In this mode of experience foreignness is the distinction directed against the foundation of a still undivided basis. Foreignness appears as separated originality. This Separation is necessary for the constitution of selfhood (interior and exterior, human and animal) and develops a relation of tension which is based of essential unituality. Foreignness acquires the function of origin and is necessary for the selfhood. After a while the selfhood have to distance itself from the original. The borderline between selfhood and foreignness thus refers to a relationship of "stressful connection". This tension develops a relationship between dependency and emancipator movement. But nevertheless the foreignness stays transcendent for the own experience. So emphatic and basic comprehensibility are essential assumptions to experience strangeness.

2.4.2. Foreignness as Counter Image

This mode of experiencing foreignness describes the contradiction between me and others. All what is ok. is inside and all what is not ok. is outside. In this experience of foreignness the borders will be observed very sensitive. All what is different (outside) will be excluded. The foreignness arise as "abnormal" and "unthinkable". It get a "character of a negation of the self" and the sense of "mutual incompatibility". It seems to threat the own identity and as a danger for one’s own order.

The counter image can change into a model. Sometimes we look of the other side i.g. in holidays. Than the other side appears more interesting as our own. One can be impressed about it, but one cannot do it. There is a turning point where the border will be clear again and one realised for himself it is not may way.

Therefor the contrast between selfhood and foreignness may strengthen one’s own order.

2.4.3.Foreignness as Supplement

In this mode of experiencing appears foreignness still unknown but desirable for the complete selfhood. One appropriate foreignness for the goal to be perfect. It includes the possibility for a self-change and a self-regulation through adapting foreign things. So one can make it as a part of one’s own identity.

2.4.4.Foreignness as Complementarity

In this mode of experiencing appears the foreignness as not able to understand. There is a limit of my own person and I will never rally understand the other side. I am strange for the person opposite and the person opposite is strange for me, but the form of strangeness is different. This relation of "mutual foreignness" is not to solve, but if I know my border I can learn to handle with it. I will never be perfect, that’s why I can never understand the whole world.

3.1. Second generation conflict

The situation of the second generation people who are born in the new country is difficult to understand. They don’t belong to a certain culture and whether they are born in this country they don’t feel like members of the society where they are living. A lot of them are not anchored in the old tradition of the originally country of their parents. So they feel homeless and looking for a fixed belonging in a existing culture. The life of the second and third generation is like a swing. Hopefully one day the balance will stop and will find a resting position.

Example: Noe flamenco

3.2. Changing attitudes

How to handle multiculturality ?

The last century has been an never ending evolution of technical equipment. The distance between countries in the western world has almost disappeared and some parts of the world elsewhere has joined this success in the technical world. Communication and networking has been established in every part on a historical, medical, economical, social and educational level. The global market has increased in a faster and faster way. The main decisions that have a great influence in the global financial market are done rapidly and sometimes in a very superficial way.

Multiculturalism is in this global world an opportunity to discover more and more. Once you get to a new subject there is a totally new world behind just waiting to be discovered by you. How to handle with all these new perspectives in a constructive way ? Some fears of loosing yourself in the « ocean » never finding the land where you can build a future have appeared as a danger for the selfhood. Multiculturalism could be one way of getting a structure for all things that you can discover today and in the future.

3.3. Steps for the minority

Dr. Karmela Belinke, Finland:

1 STEP

As a member of the society you try to balance your need an rights with your obligations. As a member of the minority you try even so hard to be noticed but you always turn into « walls » where you cannot go further. You try to fight for your personal rights but you are not so aware of the cultural difference between the minority and the majority. You fight for your personal rights as a member of the society. You are starting to criticise the majority and their culture. (Sounding board, counting image)

2 STEP

Stagnation is entering in the mind. « I cannot do anything, there is no use and I will give up ». This controversy of giving up and fight leads to a criticism of your own culture. Why is it better to speak this other language, have these customs and behaviours ? Are these things ridiculous ? How is it with the majority and their language ? Is it perhaps easier to be as they and integrate in their culture ? The majority culture seems to someone as an easier way of dealing with this controversy so they try to change culture (surrender). In some cases the integration succeeds but in other this controversy drives you to learn about your own culture. The knowledge hunger is so great that you are going inside yourself and your family to get answers. You want to know about the writers, the painters, the artists of your own culture who has succeeded in bringing out the main thinking and problems you face. The family and the circle around is very important (Supplementary, interior).

3 STEP

You begin to respect your own culture and get on a complementary level (supplement, exterior)

4 STEP

Respect for other cultures increase (Complementarity)

Fight

(Sounding board of self)

Stagnation

Controversal

(Foreignness as Counter-image)

Supplement inside/outside Integration in another culture

Respect of your own culture

(Foreignness as Complementarity, inside)

Respect of other cultures

(Foreignness as Complementarity, outside)

3.4. Steps for the majority

The following part is a reflection from Cathy about steps that the majority in a country to change attitudes towards the minorities and perhaps migrants.

For 23 years I have belonged to the majority in Belgium, but it is a new thing for me to conscious about it. I didn’t see myself as a majority and the others like a minority. In the past I never have had real contact with this kind of people when I was working with projects, apprenticeship and so on.

Through these subjects Inger has shown me her feelings in a scheme, as someone belonging to a minority, namely Swedish. Because of this I started to think about who I am and where do I stand or belong in the society. Inger as a minority has given me the motivation to open myself to others and then I have closed myself again to think about it and to analyse it.

By this incident my attitudes towards the minority has become more comprehensible. So far the position of the majority should be made sensitive and to become conscious about the presence and feelings of the minorities because most of the time the majority just doesn’t know and understand the problems of the minority. The majority don’t have to reflect on this matter because they are not in a need of change from their point of view. Life goes on for them or us.

1. STEP

The life goes on as usual until something strange happens that catches the eye and you start to analyse. (sounding board)

2. STEP

Reflecting and deeper thinking emerges and you close yourself. (Counter-image)

3. STEP

The mind is again opening and you are analysing the situation. Possibilities to be more sensitive in this matter in the future and you want to know more. (Supplementary)

4. STEP

There is an attitude change for people belonging to minorities and to migrants (Complementarity)

3.5. One example of a training program in a multicultural society

The following example is a realistic way of forming a training program but because of our need of constructing a concrete situation this part could be evaluated after and perhaps completed.

The multicultural training program is designed for high-educated people from Russia who want to live in Germany because of their German roots in the past. The centre where the training program is supposed to occur, is called "Further Education Centre TREPTOW". The migrants have master-degrees in subjects like music and economy in Russia.

First some questions is to be answered: On which level will this training be? What is the goal for this training and is there a job for them in the future? It is not appropriate to train people for a job that doesn’t exist! These high-educated migrants cannot be put in jobs for example to sell tickets!

1)Because of these people’s high education the training programs can begin with intensive courses in German systems in many fields: German history, economy system, social system, new technologies and the German language. The main points are what is globally the benefit for them and goes together with their goals. In this part the mix of different levels of education is not a goal.. The training is to be started from what the migrants know about Germany.

2)Networking and search for available opportunities that perhaps exists and which are in the direction to the migrants own goals.

3)For example these people could be orientated to work with Germans in the Third world.

Anke

My example of opening and closing the border refers to the time after the foaling of the wall between East- and West- Germany. This event was a absolute change in my life. Not only my own identity, but also nearly all levels of identity like lifestyle, ethnic group, nation and culture was affected. After a while I changed my life completely. I began my second education way, moved house from a little village in a big town and arranged my private life total new.

But also my family and friends were suddenly split up in Germany. Many of them changed their jobs, costumes and got new hobbies. A new environment was developed around me.

But not only my own life was changing through the suddenly open border. All around was in movement and nothing was as before. For many people who were deep anchored in the old social and cultural life in East- Germany the break was very hard. Often they loos their old jobs where they have worked sometimes 20 or more years. All was so simple and regulated by the state before and now everybody would responsible for all this things alone.

The belief in politic organisations got lost too through many uncovered scandals.

It shows if one level of identity is changed it could be, that other get into movement. The levels of identity are not fixed and unchangeable. They can be variable the whole life.

Some examples are still missing but because of the large amount of paper we will consider it later. It has been an interesting discussion between all of us and for this module we have worked first all together and then two of us have taped it.

International Program on Adult Education Feb. - May 1999

Université Paul Valéry Montpellier III

INTERCULTURAL GROUP PAPER

Week 22 February to 5 May 1999 - module 2 

Intercultural group 3:

Esther Booltink (N)
Veerle Dupont (B)
Tom Jansseune (B)
Miia Lehtonen (F),

This paper is the result of an intercultural groupwork considering the second module of the program, "learning strategies in a multicultural society. The topics discussed in the following text are a selection we made on the content (theory and practice) that was treated in classical courses, group discussions and the field visits to IFAD Paillade and AREL.

In a society which is becoming more and more multicultural adult educationalists are confronted with learners from very different groups/cultures and learners with very different backgrounds. Due to this diversity they face all kinds of problems, like differences in habits, language barriars and so on in educating these people. How can adult educators deal with learners in a multicultural society?

In trying to find an anwser to this question, we came up with two important steps in multicultural education. First people have to become aware of their own culture with the specific habits, norms and values. Secondly they need at least some knowledge of the culture of the others they meet.

Just like before every other learning proces, there has to be a need-assessment in multicultural education. Adult educators face learners who all have their own history of identity development. To (help to) asses(s) the learning needs of these people, adult educators have to analyse on which level(s) of selfhood people have experienced strangeness, in order to get information about learning needs. That is why we present a model of experiencing strangeness, useful in assessing learning needs.

In the following paragraphes, we will further explain and discuss the topics mentioned here. But first we want to discuss the way we see (adult)education in a multicultural society in our intercultural group.

1 Adult education in a multicultural society

In nowadays´s modern society there is more diversity in identity among people living in that society. One reason for this is the increasing individualisation. In western, postmodern individualised society former certainties slowly fade away. Former identity providing groups (like churches and youthmovements) aren't that powerfull anymore in the development of an individuals identity. Individuals have to search for existing groups that can provide them identity or have to establish new identity providing groups themselfs. This is why we think, identity in postmodern society is composed of more little bricks.

Another reason for the increase in diversity in identity among people in nowadays´s society is the increasing mobility between people of different cultures, facilitating their encounter with consequences for identity development.

A third reason is the encounter of different groups entering your society, encounters with also consequences for identity development. The homogenity of the incoming groups (migrants) is decreasing. First namely people from Maroc or Turkey enter west European countries to work there, nowadays there are much more different nationalities like for instance people from former yoegoslavia and from Albania. But migrants not only differ in their nationality, they also differ in kind of migration; for instance are they illegal migrants or refugees?

In this society which a great diversity in identity among it´s members, (adult)education is more and more needed. And not only for the incoming groups! In a society which is becoming the more and more multicultural, society as a whole has to learn. So multicultural (adult)education must not focus on indivual learning of migrants alone.

2 Different steps in dealing with multicultural learning

In multicultural learning there are different steps. First people have to meet themselves. They have to find an awnser to the question: "Who am I?" After that the question: Who are they? Who are the people of the other culture?   becomes important. It is only after awnsering thes two questions people can succesfully learn. In this praragraph, we will further describe these steps.

Step 1 Knowing your own culture

It is very important that learners are first aware of the norms, values and habits lived in their own culture to make for instance multicultural communication effective. What are the vehicles of communication in your culture? How do people in your society handle proxemics or haptics? How do they use gestures, symbols, tone of voice or eyecontact? In meeting others, knowing how these things work in your own culture can facilitate contact, because you can better see where the differences are between the person you meet en yourself. Being aware of your own position is the first stap towards understanding the poits of view, problems and questions linked to other´s positions.

Step 2 Knowing the culture of the other

To understand people from different cultures, learners also need some knowledge of the norms, values and habits in the culture of the people they encounter. Being aware of differences between persons in this respect can overcome great problems, misunderstandings and miscommunications.

Adult educators should be open minded towards people from different cultures as themselves. In other words, he or she should have a sensible surface of sensitivity for experiencing strangeness!

Adult educators are confronted with learners who come from cultures where familylife or for instance religion still play an important role in the development of indivuduals identities. These broad socializing entities provide people certainties, certainties they use to form their identity. People are less obliged to search for new groups to identify with in order to develop their identity. That is why we think an individuals identity in these cultures is composed of bigger pieces than the identity of people living in postmodern society. Adult-educators should be aware of this difference and should be open minded towards the fact that every individual forms its identity in its own way!

3 Diagnostic model of experiencing strangeness for need assessment

Because of the enormes diversity among people in identity, we think the development of identity is a good way to analyse the needs of learners. In this paragraph we present a model of experiencing strangeness, useful in assessing the learningneeds of learners.

In our intercultural group we see the development of identity as a dynamic proces. In the development of identity periods of "belonging to" a certain identity providing group are changed by periods of "distinguishing yourself from" a certain identity providing group. This dynamic proces can work on the different levels of identity at the same time, at another pace; being in a period of belonging on one level of identity, an individual can be in a period of distinguishing on another level of identity. A period of belonging seems to play an important role in making distinctions between outside and inside, thereby stabelizing the identity already build up by former encounters with others. This seems necessary to enter a period of distinguishing.

In the colleges Dr. Shaffter mentioned four models of experiencing strangeness:

a) strangeness as sounding board of the self

b) strangeness as counter-image

c) strangeness as supplement

d) strangeness as complementarity

Model b can be recognized as a mechanism of forming distinctions, thereby stabelizing the already developped identity in a period of belonging to, where as models a, c and d can be seen as mechanisms working in periods of distinguising yourself from a certain identity providing group. To explain these ideas, we give an example of a child who grows up.

When a child is born, it belongs to certain identity providing groups, for instance it's family. The parents provide the child a clear distinction between inside-outside, right-wrong etc. The border between inside and outside is very strong to create a safety for the child and it permits the child to establish a stable identy, making further development possible. In this the model of strangeness as counter-image can be recognized. In puberty children are identifying more and more with peergroups, by doing so seperating themselves from their parents and constructing their selfhood (model of strangeness as sounding board of the self). At the same time, the proces of identifying with peers takes the form of strangeness as counter-image, stabelyzing identity. This proces goes on and on with periods of distinguishing from old groups and periods of belonging to new groups to stabelize a new part of identity.

- As we see it, strangeness as counter-image is very important in the learningproces, because people need a certain amount of stability of the self for succesful learning. Unstabilaty is a barriar to learning.

- This dynamic model does not only fit the development of an individuals identity but it can also be applied to the development of group identities!

The proces of development of identity is an individual proces. Adult educators face learners who all have their own history of identity development. Educational programs should adapt to the needs of the learners own which correspond with those individual histories of identity development.

During the courses learners meet with other learners with different histories of identity. In these encounters In these situations an adult educator should intervene to facilitate the communication between the learners so that they see where there feelings of strangeness come from. We think the experience of strangeness resulting from encounters between learners in the same course is a richfull resource of learning

When people are confronted with something they can't understand, they experience strangeness situated on one (or more) of the different levels of identity. An experience of strangeness is combined with emotions, like irritation, ignorance or even fear when people got the idea that their own identity is being treathened. These emotions often result in learningprocesses but they can also be a barriar to learning and as such they are very interesting for adult educators.

People try to find explanations for situations they don't understand to deal with the evoked emotions after experiencing strangeness. The explanations they find, can be located at all the different levels of selfhood.

In our opinion explanations for experienced strangeness are often already given in the model of experiencing strangeness as counter image. Forfathers formed explanations which have become stereotypes. These stereotypes (automatic explanations for experienced strangeness) can form a basis for discrimination. To overcome this, people have to form explanations for themselves again instead of using stereotypes.

4 Educational part (we are going to work this out)

In this paragraph we want to go from the model of need assessment discussed above towards the implications for education.

5 Obstacles in the development towards a multicultural society

As we see it, going to a real multicultural society means that we move to the fourth model of experiencing strangeness ‘strangeness as complementarity’. To achieve that, people (each with their own history of identity development) have to learn to live with each other, just like familymembers learn to live with each other. Very important in this perspective is intercultural communication.

The big chalenge we are facing in developing to a multicultural society according to us, is to find an umbrella that gives different cultures commonalities. Usualy when people experience strangeness on a level of identity lower than the cultural level, they can find some commonalities in a higher level of identity to overcome the problem. When facing strangeness on cultural level, a higher order commonality-giving umbrella is missing. The challenges is to find this umbrella !

We have been discussing if one Europe could an example of such an umbrella term. Shall we ever form one Europe ? Can people unlearn their own anchored (cultural)identities ? Maybe only in a very gradually proces of evolution. New technology is a tool to make contact and exchange information possible between people from different cultures. But to achieve the idea of one Europe a personal encouter is necessary. Also the different nations should not stay in there own territoriums. We think that spacial territorium is very important in the development of identiy ! 

6 Points of our discussion

Perceived strangeness usually forms the startingpoint/motivation for adults to take part in learningprograms. Adult educators should try to bring learners in contact with unknown strangeness, if possible.

7 Conclusions

Question

In the courses dr. Shaffter mentioned the following :

Outside is needed to form an inside

Inside is needed to recognize the outside

Isn’t this in contrast with each other?

MODULE 2

Dr. Ruud van der Veen
Dr. Ortfried Schäffter
Dr. Julia Spinthourakis

Karen Dereymaeker- Peter De Temmerman- Paula Kari- Jutta Laukart

STRUCTURE

This paper is built around three parts. After the introduction, we present in a first paragraph a theoretical framework concerning the theory of strangeness that also consists of three parts: identity of strangeness, levels of identity and strangeness as a relationship. In a second paragraph this theory is linked with adult education from both a theoretical and a practical point of view.

1. INTRODUCTION

Nowadays people have the occasion to be exposed to many experiences that may give them foreign or even uncomfortable feelings. Everybody knows the keyword globalisation that has positive and negative connotations. The positive effect is that people from all countries can work together: geographical distances are shortened and information is fast available. On the other hand people feel unsure what impacts globalisation will have on their lives. Some experts claim that this feeling of insecurity is the cause that we now have a revival of the national-state idea like in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But not only the globalisation and the economic and international system have effect on us, we all experience strangeness in everyday life: we meet foreigners from different cultures, we meet people from other social groups or subclasses and everybody of us changes his social roles within a day (we are part of a family, member of the working population, member of a leisure club,...). Strangeness brings tension and conflicts in our lives, between social and cultural groups and the person himself.

According to this, the following questions are rising:

Is it possible to find a theory that can describe these experiences on an abstract level?

What can such a theory contribute to adult education?

These two questions will be discussed in the following paragraphs

2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: THE THEORY OF STRANGENESS

2.1 Identity and strangeness

To understand what strangeness means, we have to clarify the meaning of identity. To perceive the word, human beings need a certain structure because without this structure the world would be a chaos in their minds. The first step to come to this structure is to build an identity by making a distinction of the interior and the exterior, for instance body-environment or subject-object. Creating different categories of objectives is the second step. Thanks to the finding and construction of identities, human beings are no longer exposed to the world helplessly, but they are able to predict and to have influence on the world. If these borders drop, there's a danger that identity-problems arise. In the third step categories are evaluated and given a certain meaning, for instance if you want to define what is health, you must be able to recognise what is ill. The centre of the selfhood -in the meaning of identity- can't construct an identity on its own, it has to define itself through the view of the outside. This border between inside and outside is the necessary condition to experience strangeness. If the distinction-line between two selfhoods is clearly defined, it is transmissible. This means that strangeness is a relationship between two different systems, it is not an object on its own. Strangeness is a kind of irritation. It could be an incident which does not fit in our mind, something we have not experienced or seen before.

There is always the question if the selfhood is or isn't able to be aware of strangeness. The selfhood has an expectation about the other selfhoods and due to this it might block the ability to recognise something new. For instance, learners can pick out those concepts of a course that already fit in their own sense of meaning without even recognising concepts that don't fit in it. On the other hand there are also spheres of experience which never can be known and people will never have the chance to experience: a man can never know what it means to be a woman and a healthy person can never know what it means to be handicapped. Nevertheless the identity is always in a process of change, it even can happen that the selfhood itself becomes mysterious and frightening and loses its self-confidence.

2.2 Levels of identity

Schäffter mentions different levels of identity: organism, psychic system, person, family, social group, organisation, milieu/lifestyle, ethnic group, nation, and culture. For the understanding of this paper, we have mentioned them here. A short explanation can be found in the footnote below.

2.3 Strangeness as a relationship

Schäffter discusses in his article 'Modes of Experiencing Strangeness; Patterns of Interpretation in Encountering Foreignness" four modes of experiencing strangeness:

Foreignness as sounding board of the self

In this mode the base of experiencing foreignness is the assumption that the foundation of human life is in principle everywhere the same because the anthropological constitution of human beings is identical. In this context the strange seems to be something like an ideal of the lost paradise or the lost natural life. The own culture is considered uprooted due to European civilisation and there's a longing for the wholeness other cultures seem to promise. Willingness, empathy and love make it possible to understand different cultures.

Foreignness as counter image

This way of experiencing foreignness has another basic structure of order. The own system has an inner coherence, it is closed and it has distinctive borders. The outside is regarded 'abnormal' and 'alien'. This model is used to save the own identity, especially when the order is not firmed. "The foreign appears as the natural enemy" (Schäffter 1991). But this model can also be used the other way around: the foreign can be the forbidden temptation or be used as a utopia in the future.

Foreignness as supplement

This structure is understandable as a process. The system has its own development and if it has the need to get new experiences, it opens itself for the foreign. It is learning and changing itself if it requires stimulation from outside. There is always the tension between the longing for new experiences and the problem of how to cope with it. If there is too much new, the system is in danger to lose its inner stability.

Foreignness as complementarity

So far the position has been stated that "the foreign is not left to itself in its specificity..." (Krusche, 1983). This structure doesn't make a difference between outside an inside only: "the structures of order of a world interpreted in this way are thus no longer ambivalent but polyvalent" (Schäffter 1991). The order switches in this open and dynamic structure. There are no clear and distinctive separations anymore. On the other hand it is also excepted that the really strange and incomprehensible is left like it is. "This plurality demands the necessity for a constant reflection on divergent individual positions" (Schäffter, 1991). This means the system has to be open and it cannot fix final positions.

3. CONSEQUENCES ON ADULT EDUCATION

3.1 Theoretical point of view

If we chose the last opportunity -foreignness as complementarity- and look at our contemporary society as a polyvalent system which ensures plurality, we have to face the problem that individuals and systems are overwhelmed with new challenges caused by strangeness. This may lead to identity-problems, the loss of orientation and inhabitation of the capacity to act in social contexts. If the ability to make difference between outside and inside doesn’t exist (for instance if you don't know as a person what's your own identity and who are the others), then education plays a role to solve the need to develop new competencies which help people to be open and reflexive without being overtaxed. The question arises how adult education can promote this development. Two things must be cleared. First, "Which method is suitable to cope with heterogeneity?" and second, "How can adult education use this heterogeneity in a positive way?"

A problem adult educators can be confronted with is the fact that adults who come to education activities, all have different backgrounds, different biographies and everyone is a system on his own. Some teachers may experience that some adults only pick up those things that agree with their own way of thinking. Nevertheless we assume that every human being is able to learn and to change his identity a life long. From this point of view teachers in adult education can help to create situations in which adults have the time to find a way how they can connect strange experiences to their own identity. Therefor the teacher must be sensitive to heterogeneity without verbalising this explicitly. Strangeness is an inner process and verbalising would contain the danger that consensus only exist on the surface and people are not sensitive for strangeness on the inside. Persuading people to change their opinions or attitudes can be harmful in the sense that it may give them bad learning experiences, which can have the result that people are not willing to learn anymore. A better strategy to sensitise learners to heterogeneity and matters they don't know or understand, is to give them the chance to put these matters in their own personal system of meaning. Strangeness doesn’t have to be a subject on its own. Sometimes it is better to let people experience strangeness on their own in real life situations and to give them the freedom to build an own opinion.

Education can help to provide an environment where the possibilities to meet people -and to have new experiences of strangeness- are available and where an open respectful attitude towards strangeness is guaranteed. In this way plurality is not a cause for anxiety but contains the chance to enlarge personal development.

3.2 Practical point of view

Who do we call a migrant?

Migration is not only a phenomenon typical of the last century, since man learned to move himself, migration has been of all times and all places. When we all go back in our own genealogical tree, most of us will find migrants among their ancestors. This brings us to the question what we can call a migrant. Generally speaking, a migrant is a person who -as the word itself says- migrates with the purpose to build up a more or less permanent future at another place, mostly national borders are used to make the distinction between those 'places'. Nowadays, in European countries the term migrant is mostly used in a more negative connotation referring to people with a non-white background. Even though some centuries ago, through the eyes of the mediaeval man or woman an inhabitant of a near town also might be considered as a migrant and whereas the main part of the number of migrants in European countries nowadays has its origin in one of the neighbour-countries of the country they are moving to. Only a small part comes from another continent. Now the question arises why a lot of people in the first place make the association with African or Asian people when hearing the word migrant. The answer is quite simple: because of their different skin-colour and other visual characteristics such as dressing-style and religious buildings, they catch the eye in daily life. Nowadays, when speaking of migrants, automatically we refer to people who are members of a culture different from post-industrialised western cultures. Applied to the different countries we live in, in general when talking about migrants, a reference is made to people with a Turkish, a Turkish and Moroccan and people with a Somali background in Germany, Belgium and Finland respectively.

When people move to another country, in most cases it takes two or three generations before they get really integrated. Some of the elements already mentioned above make it difficult for people to integrate: because of their different skin colour, dressing style or other visual aspects, they may look different from the inhabitants of the country they migrate to and this may make it harder for them to find a decent job or decent housing. On the other hand one might say that the post-modern society we live in is characterised by a personal construction of people's own identity. Different dressing styles and intercultural relationships are examples of the visual presentation of this, so in a much more and more becoming multicultural society, the main problem of a successful integration isn't the visual aspect of being different. According to us, language is a big problem. If a person doesn't speak or understand the language of the country he or she is living in, it becomes very difficult to find a job or to have contact with the local community, for instance the teachers of their own children. Here, adult education has a task towards migrants who come into the country.

Northern versus southern European approach

Integrating doesn't mean people have to give up all the characteristics of the culture they were raised in and adopt all aspects of the new culture they live in. According to several authors, integration in a new society or a new culture has the biggest chance to be successful if a person has the feeling he or she has a strong cultural identity and is accepted by a cultural group (Meurs, 1997; Oetting & Beauvais, 1991). Migrants of the second generation often have the problem that they feel like they are constantly moving between the culture of the country their parents come from and the culture of dominant society in which they go to school. In most cases, due to an underlying feeling of racism and non-acceptation from the dominant society, identification with members of this society becomes difficult. When in those cases into the bargain because of various reasons identification with the culture of the parents, the culture at home, is lowly levelled, two destroying ways of dealing with this may rise. On one hand, a threatening danger is created that these young migrants begin to identify themselves with sub-cultural groups on the fringes of society sharing the same feeling (Campbell & Pinas, 1994). Those groups may express their feelings by neglecting rules and behaving criminal as a reaction against society. On the other hand, a mostly underestimated part of those young people will fall into a depression, resort to drug-abuse or even commit suicide in the worst case. This makes clear adult education has the task to make people feel empowered, stronger, to strengthen them in their own identity. This can be done in several ways: northern European countries have the tradition to focus on the common problems of the migrant population as a target group. Social workers help migrants with problems concerning accommodation, education and employment and fulfil the role of mouthpiece towards policymakers on the local and national level. The southern European approach on the other hand is characterised by a focus laid on the sharing of nice things, such as theatre, dancing and singing. The purpose here is to unite people and give the neighbourhood a soul. According to us, a mixture of both these strategies should be offered, because when people have problems -and migrants are without any doubt dealing with psychological and physical problems when being placed in another culture- it's a support when they feel being listened to and being helped. On the other hand, when only focusing the attention on their problems, the danger of stigmatisation and linked to this the danger of racists remarks -for instance when putting too much the attention they form a problem-group in society- coming from certain people and political parties becomes more realistic. This is why, according to us, both strategies are needed.

Strategies for the adult educator

Van der Veen mentioned four educational strategies to handle discrimination:

Equality of opportunity;

Positive discrimination;

Pride of migrants in the own culture;

The strategy of cultural encounter.

Concerning adult education, the strategy of equal opportunities is the goal to reach. The three other strategies can be used in a beginning or even more later stage to reach this goal, but -according to us- can't be seen as goals on their own. The strategy of positive discrimination can be a helping start to break the vicious circle migrants may be caught in, but can't be seen as a goal at the end because positive discrimination still is a form of discrimination. The strategy of strengthening migrants in the pride of their own culture is a necessary step towards integration, but becomes a danger to reach the goal of equality when people get stuck in this stage. This situation is clear in Berlin and other European countries where real ghetto's are formed and the migrant-community forms an island in the country itself (for instance Wedding and Kreuzberg in Berlin). We like the idea of the fourth strategy -cultural encounter: bringing people together from different countries-, even though we want to place a critical remark here. According to us only those people are reached -especially the indigenous- who are already open to strangeness and the idea of a multicultural society, if you want to try to change the opinion of society and rouse people's feeling of strangeness, other strategies are needed.

Role of the media

Some tasks of the adult educator are already mentioned above:

Make people feel strong in their own culture;

Create opportunities to let people know each other, opportunities to rouse their strangeness;

The importance of language courses as a step towards integration. Concerning these courses, we agree with Spinthourakis to use language courses as an umbrella which contains different topics migrants need to be aware of (e.g. cultural customs, rules, rights and social issues of the new society they live in, history, etc.). According to us, working in multicultural groups -the strategy used at IFAD Paillade-, is a good way to get people in contact with other cultures. On the other hand, the adult educator must be aware of specific (cultural) factors that oblige him or her to work with categorised target groups. Due to different pre-educational experiences, reasons to learn a language or cultural facts (e.g. some Islamic women may not follow lessons together with men from their husbands), working with target groups is inevitable. This opportunity was missing at IFAD Paillade.

Another task the adult educator can pay attention to is helping people to decode a message. According to Spinthourakis, every communication consists of three parts: perceptual, verbal and non-verbal processes. Different cultures may have other or even opposite expressions concerning each of these processes when referring to the same thing. This may cause a lot of confusion and even distrust (e.g. in some cultures saying 'yes' when avoiding eye-contact means 'no'). The adult educator must pay attention to this topic.

So far in this section we have only been talking of adult education on a more individual level. It must be clear that when working with individuals, mostly those who are already open to the subject are reached. To create a good atmosphere in a country, a broader approach is needed. The introducing of different cultures in the curricula at primary schools could be a good initiative to rouse strangeness from childhood on. In this respect of a broader approach, media play an important role. Television, newspapers, radio,... have a big impact on people's lives. If those media only refer to migrants in a negative way (criminality,...), people may not feel open towards other cultures and reduce their feeling of strangeness. Media should be neutral when reporting criminal facts and not stress attention to the nationality of the suspects. Television programs (games, soaps,...) should also give a more realistic view of society by admitting people of different cultural backgrounds to change the stereotype ideas a lot of people have of migrants, this is far too less the case at the moment.

Remark

The topics described in the last paragraph probably can't be generalised because they refer to our impressions of the situation in the continental countries, in our case specifically Belgium and Germany. In Finland, the migration rate of people from outside Europe is rather low -in part undoubtedly due to their migration limit-; so we discussed the situation particularly from a continental point of view. This is especially evident in relation to former East-Germany xenophobia that is a fact among unemployed youth because before the fall of the wall there were fewer foreigners in East-Germany. This example shows that a weak identity -due to unemployment and the missing feeling of a responsible position in society- can cause a defensive reaction towards strangeness when confronted with it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Campbell, H.W., & Pinas, R. (1994). Hulpverlening aan Surinaamse drugverslaafden: oorzaak als aangrijpingspunt. In: Hoogsteder, J. Etnocentrisme en communicatie in de hulpverlening. Interculturele hulpverlening. Module 4. Utrecht: Stichting Landelijke Federatie van Welzijnsorganisaties voor Surinamers, p. 196-213.

Krusche, D. (1983). Japan. Konkrete Fremde. Dialog mit einer fernen Kultur. Stuttgart (2. Überarb. Auflage).

Meurs, P. (1997). Culturele continuïteit en discontinuïteit in migrantengezinnen. Enkele reflecties voor hulpverleners. Psyche, 3, jg.9, okt. 1997, p.3-5.

Oetting, E.R., & Beauvais, F. (1991). Orthogonal cultural identification. The theory: The Cultural Identification of Minority Adolescents. International Journal of Addictions, 25, p.655-669.

Schäffter, O. (1991). Modi des Fremderlebens. Deutungsmuster im Umgang mit Fremdheit. In: Schäffter, O. Erfahrungsmöglichkeiten zwischen Faszination und Bedrohung. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, p.11-42.

Schäffter, O. (1999). Modes of Experiencing Strangeness. Patterns of Interpretation in Encountering Foreignness. Unpublished.

Group 6

Imke Abma
Enric Perez
Anne Berg
Liselotte Courtens

We first want to talk about the migration policy, with its possibilities and restrictions (2.1). Migration taken into account, we then take a society with diverse cultures that is the result of migration, as a starting point. We think society has to move towards a multicultural society, defined as a place where different cultures meet each other and where there is an interaction in between them.

This move can be reached by focusing on intercultural learning processes (2.2), trough which a multicultural society can be reached. We then focus on this processes and consider the role of adult education into this.

This scheme gives the structure of this papers and offers a framework. We know that different aspects are here not taken into consideration. It just drawing the lines of our discussion.

2.1 Migration policy: different perspectives in divers societies

"Cultural problems are often not just about culture. It is also about economic competition covered up in cultural terms".

In multicultural society there are a lot of misunderstandings in which the main problem is about the economic aspects. We think that the integration of immigrants often depends on their economical situation. Starting from the economic situation as principle problem, we can distingquish two groups of immigrants: The first group are the immigrants who experience cultural differences, but have a good economic situation. For them we think the integration is not a problem. (For example the German immigrants in Spain.) The second group consists of immigrants in a bad economic situation, where cultural differences become cultural problems and where integration is not guaranteed. (We take care for example the Moroccon immigrants in Spain.)

It looks like there is a distinction within the group of immigrants between the people that are less educated and people that are highly educated, which seems to be the condition for integration.

Children of second generation immigrants often have double problems; they have to deal with different kind of values in their homes than in the school.

We started a discussion about the question ’Should we limit immigration?’ At first there is the argument that immigration should be limited because of the responsibility that the government has to take for the people in the own country. Especially when unemployment rates are high, people get afraid that immigrants take their job. The government has not only the responsibility for its own people but for immigrants too. That is why you should not let people come to your country if you can’t offer them a job because of the low lifestandard that is a result of unemployment.

We noticed an evolution in policy from wellfare to workfare: to get some support, you have to do something in return to avoid "learned helplesness".

Here again we notice the distinction between migrants that enter the country and already have a job and the poorer migrants. The first are often higher educated people while the latter ones don’t bring money into the country and only need help. Therefore a policy for migrants tends to always be about limiting the migration-number of those people that need help.

When you are realistic then there are several arguments to limit migration into a country, as noted above. But the next question then, is what should be the norm to set limits? Some say that the amount of jobs should give direction to the amount of migrants. But we have problems upon that item. For some people it’s better to live here and be safe then to be in their own country. And if citizens have the choice to go to work or not, why should having a job be the norm for migrants then?

There ’s no clear solution for this problem. But we think, as adult educators, next to focussing on the education processes themselves, we have to give signals to the government and try to reach a dialogue.

2.2 From diversity of cultures to multicultural society via intercultural learning procesess

As explained above, we think it’s important that a society stresses the richness of diversity, by focusing on a multicultural perspective, where interaction of cultures enriches the way of living together.

In thinking and discussing about the duties, jobs and the roles related to an adult educator, we decided to concentrate here,apart from the fact that the adult educators field of duty is wide, on the work done with the immigrants, the society and the signal function to the governement.

We first want to note that we are talking about an offer which takes both formal and non-formal adult education into account. Secondly, we want to stress the importance of the flexibility of both adult education and adult educators. Adult education has to be flexible in its goals and its offer. Adult educators have to be flexible in taking into account the cultural background of the migrants and working with it, focussing on the interaction of the different cultures.

2.2.1 Focusing on migrants

Culture can be seen as having many different definitions. One of them deals with the view that culture is an accumulated material heritage of human kind as a whole or of particular human groups. According to this, individuals should have an equal access to this accumulated cultural capital. Development is therefore increasing that access. We can also see the culture as the process of artistic and scientific creation. There are therefore individuals, in the society, who "create" culture. This view implies that people should have a right to freely create their culture and freely enjoy these "creations". This implies we should increase the opportunity to "create" culture. The third view of culture sees the culture as a total sum of the material and spiritual activities and products of a given social group which distinguishes it from other similar groups. This position or definion argues that every cultural group has it’s right to maintain and develop it’s own specific culture, no matter how it relates to other cultures. This refers to the right to have a cultural identity. So instead of concentrating on how to accomodate or assimilate or only adjust people in to our society, we should give people the freedom to develop and maintain their own cultural identity and take in to the consideration the work that can be done in the society, in trying to change it towards tolerance and finally multiculturalism.

Before starting any work with the migrants or developing any programs for them, there should be a knowledge about and respect for the previous learning experiences of the migrants. The contents and the methodologies or learning strategies of different kinds of programs should be planned in relation with the needs and expectations of the migrants. It’s important for adult educators to know about the problems of migrants.

We were having a discussion about the second generation immigrants. They often have identity problems, while there should be no need for that because they have access to two groups. Research has shown that identity problems often are related to the degree in which the parents are integrated in their society. It often happens that people, when leaving for another country, take the norms and the values of their culture at that time with them. So they raise their children with the values of a society that meanwhile has evoloved itself. That evolution is often not taken into account by those parents, which brings on problems for the children.

The first step in the process of integration is learning the language of the country that is providing the entry for the migrants, because without for example the capasity to participate in to the communication, it’s impossible to have any social interaction and to cope with everyday situations. When discussing about the programs planned for the immigrants, the priorities should be on the following processes: orientation, integration and promotion. Orientation is about providing the sufficient, essential and appropriate information so that the immigrants can become more autonomous and independent and have the access to the services of society as equally as the majority people. By integration is meant both social and vocational or professional integration. Promotion is about supporting people becoming selfconfident, working on their selfesteem. The stress is on the empowerment.

2.2.2 Focusing on society

Adult educators, next to helping the migrants adjust to the economic, political and social life of that country to which they are entering, have to pay attention to the society. In trying to diminish or get rid off the prejudices and ethnocentrism, we should promote peoples awareness and understanding towards different cultures and nations by for example (like in Spain) organizing conferences about several topics including the daily racism, reasons of the migration, the role of the woman in different cultures and historics, geographics and cultural aspects, building centers of encounters, creating cultural and leisure activities and creating co-operation in the question of centers and activities. These different kind of activities could and should be organized so, that the majority people too, have the access to these happenings or activities and therefore come to get to know the immigrant cultures, their history and habits. The aim here is in moving towards the multicultural identity and society in which people can live not only next to each other and without any wars, but have an opportunity to learn from and respect each other.

2.2.3 Signal function

As mentioned above, we think adult educators have to become part of the debate on migration policy. They are the ones that have to work with people, both from minority and majority groups. They have to signal problems and advise policymakers.

In Finland and in the Netherlands migrants are approached from the kind of negative point of view, concentrating on the problems migrants are having. In Spain and in France (like fex. the field visit of A.R.E.L showed) people, the migrants are approached from a more positive point of view: different kinds of activities are organized which are focused on expressing several aspects of their own culture. Belgium is located in the middle of these perspectives because there is plenty of neighbourhoodwork that takes into account the culture of migrants but on the other hand government policy focuses on the problemgroups.

2.3. Reflections

2.3.1 Multicultural and multilingual education design

Here we get into the subject of designing programs a little bit deeper. We note that this model can be used both in formal and non-formal education processes.

In the following we describe a fundamental process that we find necessary for constituting a learning process. We assume that the fundamental aspect of a learning process is situated in a learning incident.

The person, who is about to receive the information has to be able to extract valuable meaning from it, assuming that the information has a certain amount of valuable meaning. In order to get in contact with the information therefore, the person has to have at least a surface of sensitivity. We can describe this boundary as a contact zone, which is a meaningfull aspect in educational situations. The contact which we are persuing in the following, is the relationship of knowledge: the still unknown but in principle knowable.

Referring to the ’sphere of selfhood’ as a universe of meaning, as it is said in the model (Schäffter) selfhood needs strangeness for its constitution. In short, strangeness is a ’challenging promotor’, that may challenge one’s identity. Strangeness occurs on various levels of selfhood and challenges different levels by causing irritation. By stating this, we must take in consideration the fact that the irritation occurs when at least two entities, unknown to each other, meet: the sphere of selfhood with its own developmental process on various levels and its own temporality will then interlock with another sphere of selfhood, also with its own developmental process and temporality.

Only when the contact, the irritation has occurred, you can state that there can be a strangeness involved. Stating that the two entities become aware of the strangeness, aware of a friction, aware of their differences and thus aware of their own identity, then this will be the framework of a critial incident where irritation is met!

If you see this ability of being irritated by new experiences, by her entities as basic assumption for intercultural learning, you will probably favour the idea of this following ’multicultural and multilinguistic interdependent curriculumdesign’, where different spheres of selfhood are explicitly taken into account.

PP= program planners (adult educators)

P= participants

C= curriculum

ES= education situation

AT-LS= appropriate teaching- learning styles

1= planning

1’= collaborative planning

2= designing

2’= content input

This multicultural and multilinguistic interdependent curriculum design-model that is shown can be used as a design appropriate for a program that is focussed on immigrants and their integration in society.

This model is based on the idea that a language skills are necessary for survival in a new environment. In a lot of European countries language programs exist especially for migrants, bur they do not always meet the needs of the migrants. This model is also based on the idea that when working with a multicultural group, multilingual input will insert an intercultural educational frame in the most liberal sense. By stating this, the focus will not be on the various languages the participants speak, but on the one language they learn. This may sound like a paradox, but when participants of various backgrounds are put together their only means of communication will be the language they are thought. Therefore the multilingual input will be from the background of the participants in the model. Continuing on this subject this model implicitely suggests the use of a bottum-up process in designing the curriculum. Therefore the model has taken into account the aspects of the needs and motivation of the participants as a necessity. The necessity for building an environment where learning can occur. The programme planner or the adult educator in this example has his role as a designer of the framework where the education has to take place. He is merely a facilitator, a creator of an education system. His duty is to guide, facilitate and in some aspects of the education process to educate.

By using this model we want to stress the importance of ’participative planning’ in adult education, and in working with migrants in particular. We think this is important because as educators, not speaking their language and not knowing really their habits it’s even more difficult to analyse the needs.

2.3.2 Example of an intercultural learning proces.

Intercultural learning processes can be seen through four concepts, which are the encounter, the respect, the dialoque and the regognition. When thinking about our own intercultural group and these four elements of intercultural learning process, we thought that the encounter describes exchanging our views, ideas and opinion, while respect is about the possibility to respect one anothers cultures and changing ones own opinions and thoughts through communication. Dialoque can be seen as a mean of communication, nonverbal and verbal: we have different meanings for different things and by using the language and nonverbal communication we can express ourselves and our ideas to other people. Regognition is regognition of the different cultural backgrounds.

Group 7

Marita Pylvanainen (F)

(F)

Els Vancluysen (B)

Katrijn Vanduffel (B)

LEARNING IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Introduction

We built up this paper going out from four successive questions :

What is strangeness ?

Is it possible to learn from strangeness ?

How can you learn from strangeness ?

Can you force people to learn / to take in strangeness ?

It is important to notice that the first two questions are perceived in a general way, while the third and the fourth question are more focused on immigrants/minorities.

In fact your whole life can be seen as a journey through strangeness: everything and everyone is unique in the meaning of having an individual history. That’s why it is impossible to know, to understand everything. Strangeness will never disappear. Probably we can’t even imagine how much strangeness surrounds us and how much strangeness we have in our self.

In these times of globalisation and multimedia (communication) people are more then ever confronted with strange influences from all over the world. The world seems to be a huge network of smaller, interconnected networks. The result of this are numerous complex ‘universes of meaning’, that are more visible than ever before. People can’t impossibly deny the strangeness.

There are different reactions possible on the confrontation with strangeness. These are what Schäffter calls ‘the modes of experiencing strangeness’. Probably these four modes are all represented in each one of us, although, according to the situation, one mode will be dominant. Yet, we think that (hardly) everybody is -more or less- focused on him- or herself. We even think that it is the only way to do it. People need to strenghten their own self, to build some kind of ‘safety-wall’ around them. If they don’t do this, the danger becomes real that they will fall into alienation, which is one of the major problems of our present society. By ‘alienation’ we mean that they are afraid to climb over the safety-wall and that they are completely thrown back to their self.

We believe that it is indeed possible to learn (about strangeness), at least to a certain degree. It will never be possible to understand or to be aware of everything. You can’t even be sure about yourself, about your own boundaries. There will always be strangeness around us. Still, this is an optimistic way of looking at learning. We could as well say that learning is always impossible, because you can never be sure that what you learn is right or true.

As mentioned in the paragraph above, it is inevitable that people approach strangeness, unknown matters, from their own point of view. Some basic trust in yourself (a surface of sensibility) is required to be able to learn new things from the outside. On the other hand, the outside can –if handled in the right way- contribute to this self-safety. In other words: the strangeness can be a ‘tool’ for the self-constitution.

Seeing it this way, learning can be conceived as a continuing process of exchanging between the selfhood and the strangeness. But it always goes back to the self, not necessarily in an egocentric way, but in the way of taking care of yourself.

(SAFE) SELFHOOD

‘tool’ condition

STRANGENESS

Is irritation a necessary condition, a ‘basic assumption’, for learning? We were not sure about the meaning of the word irritation. Understood in the sense of ‘annoying’, we think that irritation is not at all a ‘necessary’, but at most a ‘sufficient’, condition for learning. For instance: working on a computer is for some people very frustrating, annoying. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they will -in all probability- rather give up then trying over and over again, and getting more and more frustrated.

Otherwise, if you interpret the word in the sense of ‘stimulating’, then it might be a necessary starting-point for a learning process. We think that some kind of astonishment for the unknown is at least conducive -if not necessary- for learning. This kind of irritation is usually unexpected, you can’t plan it. That’s why open awareness to it is very difficult because you have to open your borders for strangeness, which can be intimidating. However it is possible to learn it.

It is unrealistic to believe that integration is a measured thing. It is not through one formal course, offered for all, that people learn about society! It is extremely important that the offer of the organisations who are engaged in integration-work is very broad and diverse. ‘Society’ is something that you have to experience and we think that this is a process situated on the personal level. This is also the reason why integration-problems may not be generalised to social groups or (sub)cultures.

It is a fact that the learning of special groups like adults, migrants, ... is still too much seen as positive discrimination. We don’t want to say that this idea has to be rejected completely, but we want to strive for a broadening of the target groups. For instance: instead of offering vocational courses for migrants only (cultural characteristics), we think it would be better to invite ‘people’ (not only immigrants) according to their personal characteristics and needs. Native people can have the same needs as migrants! This is also the reason why we think that the social sector (youthwork, community work, …) and education should try to adjust more to each other instead of seeing each other as rivals and competitors. There is really a great need for good transfer and communication between the different sectors. They have to strive for more wholeness and a broader approach of the problems. We believe in the idea of opportunities for all.

The basis for the planning of adult education-programmes for migrants should be the needs that these migrants face while integrating into a strange society. That’s why the idea of ‘personal learning plans’ and life management should take an important role in working with immigrants. A personal learning plan can be seen as a plan for the future. (Marita’s drawing must be added here!)

Migrants have dreams and goals that they want to achieve when they come into a strange country. This personal goal-setting should be a necessary starting-point for the planning of education, especially for migrants. Support is needed, because immigrants can’t be sure about the realisation of their dreams in a strange society.

Another starting point in developing these personal learning plans are the ‘life experiences to date’ (= skills, education experience, attitudes, …) of the migrant-learner. It is important to start from the strong points of the person, the prerequisites, the own cultural knowledge, … which can be useful for life management in strange societies.

After finding out the personal goals and the life experiences to date, adult educaters can start to work on the contents, the programme to work towards the realisation of the dreams, which can be seen as a stair that has to be climbed. For an immigrant who doesn’t know the rules of a society, who doesn’t understand the cultural structure, … it is not always obvious which steps have to be taken to achieve the final goals. Some skills are really needed to climb the stairs, for instance: they need to know the language and the bureaucracy of the country, … But all this is not as self-evident for the migrants as it is for an educator, a member of society. Therefore it is important that the educator helps the immigrant in making the link between the dreams and the steps that are needed to reach these dreams. By this, the learner will achieve inner-motivation to go through this necessary transition phase.

The organisation ‘IFAD, Peuple et culture’ in La Paillade (field visit) is also based on these principles: they go out from personal learning plans: the dreams of the learners on the one hand and the life experiences to date. After the constitution of the (mixed) groups they also design group learning plans which are linked to the personal plans.

We were also thinking about an adapted form of the mentoring system, that already proved its value in the United States where white women mentored black women during the process of equalisation. In Europe this system has applications in the field of career-planning, which is of course a completely different context: these coming managers are already close to the top, while unprivileged people often have to start from zero, without a bride future in perspective. There is , however, also a link with the system of ‘support families’ (for instance in Belgium), where (middleclass) families support unprivileged people on a voluntary basis.

When working with mixed groups, especially groups that represent both minorities as the majority, the idea of ‘pluralistic’ education can be very useful. Not in the way of offering everything to everyone, because where do you stop? Do you also have to offer Chinese cooking courses? A reduced, more realistic form of this pluralism is to integrate daily life situations from different cultures in class. For instance: besides celebrating christmas or other Christian feasts, you can also celebrate the Islamitic Sugarfeast.

Here we touch a matter of power and control, a matter of dominance of universes of meaning.

The keyword in this huge debate is –according to us- acceptance. Only if you give the immigrants the chance to maintain their own identity, only if you allow them to construct some kind of personal safety-boundaries, you can demand some integration from them.

A good example of this is, is a research done in Belgium: A list of 30 statements concerning policy matters (civil rights, environment, religion, ...) was presented to different immigrant populations (different ages, sexes, generations, ...). People were asked to point out on that list the 10 most important statements for them and to give them a score from 1 to 10 according to their importance. One of the most striking results appeared in a group of young (15-16 years old) Moroccan girls. They were all dressed very fashionable, they were wearing make-up, ... Despite their very western appearance, almost everyone of them pointed out that the acceptance of women who are wearing a scarf, which is a big source of discussions in Belgium, was the most important policy-matter. The meaning of all this is that they want a (formal) recognition of their belief. In exchange for this recognition, they are willing to make concessions as well. This is also a good example of mutual exchange between different cultures.

Group 8

Module 2

Pirjo Töllinen
Emma Causa
Miet Vanhilderson
Karen Wouters

Living in a multicultural society

The late twentieth century is characterized by migration into all Europe for political, economical and educational reasons. The big amount of the incoming people permits us to talk about a multicultural society. The term 'multicultural society' doesn't immediatly imply an open way of approach towards the cultural diversity as the following example illustrates: The multicultural society used to be seen as a melting pot. The new incoming groups would all melt together. Now multicultural is seen as a symphony orchestra: each separate piece has a voice and when you put them together they make beautiful music.

So we can say that multiculturalism could be acknowledged or not. These process of acknowledgment depends mainly on the choices of the state policy on this issue. The following example illustrates the relation between the choice of the government concerning the incoming people and the kind of programs made for them. If the government has chosen for workfare then the main question for migrants is: "how to find a job?". This implies a lot of duties and responsibilities towards the society. On the contrary within the choice of welfare the stress is more on feeling safe and trust in the society.

The government influences the way migrants are treated. Therefore education has to take in account these decisions. Education alone is not a solution. Education has to form part of the whole program concerning migration. If the government choose for a workfare policy, the adult education has to spend attention to skills concerning the job market.

To form part of the network with the policy doesn't simply imply an adaptation of the educational programs. Adult educators also have to fulfill an experimental role by taking part in the discussion concerning the migrant problem.

Our main idea is the importance not to stay on the surface concerning the multicultural problem as the following quotation says: "The world today lives in a climate of a single universal civilization, but one which has it's own specification, obvious or hidden, that depends on the various people." (Adonis, 1991). To take into account these own specifications we use two different frameworks. First the distinction between cultural perspective and the economical perspective. There we want to argue that the multicultural problem often is interpreted by the cultural perspective. The economical perspective is not seen. Secondly we have the theory of Ortfried Shäffter who claims that there are differences in levels of identity and that there are different modes of experience. One has to analyze the problem in a deeper way and look for the kind of relations it has.

Economical perspective versus cultural perspective

The economic approach claims that cultural problems are not about cultural problems at all. They concern often an economic competition which is covered up by cultural solutions. The cultural terms are used to oppress the minority. Several groups try to protect their economic situation for incoming migrants by using cultural metaphors.

The cultural approach says that culture is really a problem. Culture is deep anchored in a person and causes problems to integrate. This difference is an explanation that one is integrated, employed or not. This includes the danger that you can use the cultural perspectives whenever you like and in different ways. for instance migration.

We mention these two approaches not to make a choice between them, but to warn for a pragmatic way of thinking. Confronted with the multicultural society one reacts often on the surface problem to have a solution as quick as possible. This danger of pragmatic thinking is connected with the two approaches. If you only start from an economic perspective, for instance by giving every migrant a job, you may forget their own habits concerning having a job. On the other side when you only want to offer them a feeling of safety and trust without a guarantee of work, you may forget the economic competition between the different groups of people.

We think it is important to try to understand to make clear the complex situation, instead of making too soon the step towards a solution. To define the problem one has to confront every situation with the two perspectives.

Different levels of identity

Shäffter goes even deeper on the cultural problem. Therefore he starts with the idea that everyone has a feeling of strangeness. This feeling of strangeness is necessary to learn.

On the sphere of selfhood there is a distinction to be made between the self and the other. This boundary between this sphere of selfhood and the others is necessary to be sensible for the strangeness in other spheres of selfhood. The importance of this boundary is that one realizes that this boundary has to be constitutional to be sensible for the strangeness. It makes it possible to make a distinction, to get in contact with the others. You need this boundary to cross over from one side to the other. Therefore in a certain way, we are all multiculturalists. Knowing from within what strange is to you gives the possibility to cross over.

Once a person is confronted with a problem of strangeness it is useful to distinguish different levels of identity. He distinguishes the organism, a psychic system, personal system a family- as inter-generation-system, a social group, the organization, the sub-culture, the ethnic-group; people/nation and culture as form of civilizations.

It is important to mention these levels of identity because a "cultural" problem can be situated in the different levels. It is easier to analyze the problem along these different levels. So the problem can be handled on one level at a time. Each level that has weak boundaries is not able to cross the boundary. So first we have to make the different boundaries solid of every level of identity. Afterwards we can handle the problem appropriate to the level.

To look to a problem Shäffter not only distinguishes different levels of identity, but he also made different modes of experience of strangeness. One has to analyze the way someone reacts on a problem. If one realizes on which level of identity the problem is situated and which mode of experience is acting it makes it easier to understand the different problems.

The role of the adult-educator.

We can conclude from the previous points that the adult educator first has to define the problem. As a consequence he needs to be conscious of the different aspects of a learner in a multicultural society. We will point out two aspects: The consciousness of the experience of strangeness and the consequences of the policy on the educational program.

From the previous point about the learner as a sphere of selfhood, we can say that there are different learning possibilities. First we have to work on the selfhood so that the boundaries are save. You need a constitutional boundary to be sensible. So that one can cross over that boundary. Further there is an awareness needed from the adult educator on the different levels of identity. e.g. If two people do not agree about greeting another person the following question can be asked: What is the dominant level within this problem? Is it a difference in lifestyle, social group or ethnic level? At last the adult educator has to be aware of the mode of experiencing strangeness. In which way is this strangeness produced.

After the educator made a personal and situated diagnosis of the problem he can start to design a program. In general it concerns a sensibilization of mutual differences. The learner has to become aware of his own sphere of selfhood. So that he realizes that there are a lot of differences on all the levels of identity and not only a cultural problem is. He has to cope with strangeness by creating the possibility to cross over the boundaries. These distinctions make us sensitive. They recognize each other and learn to respect them. To design a program one can use two different approaches: a cultural or an economical.

As we already mentioned above the role of the adult educator in relation with the policy is two-sided. He has to cope with the policy and develop educational programs in the context of the choices made by the government concerning the multicultural problem. On the other hand he has to experiment different programs to counterbalance. These two tasks can be made concrete by searching a balance between cultural and economical, functional strategies. Within these strategies it is important to spend enough time to define the problem and look for the appropriate solution.

We will illustrate these different strategies through the example of a community center. We think that a community center has to find this balance between the functional and cultural perspective. Therefore a center has to set up a lot of various activities and projects. To play a functional role a center has to develop programs to help people to a job. IFAD a community center in the suburbs of Montpellier organizes a program for young people where they can learn solicitation skills. Further they provide a traineeship in an organization where they gain work experience.

On the other hand they realize that life is not about work alone. The use of cultural activities is important to help the people to develop their identity and to revalidate their pride on their own culture. e.g. IFAD organizes visits to theaters, exchanges with foreign groups and workshops on a positive image of the neighbourhood.

Conclusion

In this paper we wanted to stress the idea of not to stay on the surface. In two steps we clarified how you can go deeper on the multicultural issue. First we distinguish two different perspectives on the multicultural society: an economical and a cultural. We continued with Shäffter who analyzes the cultural perspective in a deeper way. Further on we described what kind of role adult education can play within this process. At last we illustrated the role of the educator by using the example of a community center.

Learning in a multicultural society

preface

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The purpose of our paper is not to discuss all possible topics or the whole problem in all its aspects. We want to select some topics that seem interesting and relevant for concrete situations and discussions in our own countries. In our paper, we want to stress the links between the different levels of society, because we are convinced that they all interact in a specific way and play a particular role in solving (or causing) problems in our multicultural society. We will link regularly some social developments with the role education can or must play.

In a first topic we present a scheme in which we place some actors in the different levels (macro, meso and micro) of society and explain why they seem so important to us for the 'multicultural' discussion. Then, we look at the educational organisations and educators in our multicultural society and try to find out, based on some theoretical notions, what their roles can be and we link the more theoretical discussions with concrete examples we have seen in IFAD.

After that, we want to discuss the question if we, if the governement can force migrants to learn the dominant language. We want to stress the importance of this subject on both the macro- and the meso-level.

In the next picture we try to describe the environment where we live in. We all have our own experiences and ways to see the world. Also organizations and its members differ from each other. They have their own way to perceive and interpret things (organizational culture) as well as to solve their problems. But also society and rules have an effect on organizations and individual´s behavior. So all circles are in interaction with each other.

In the peripherical circle the economical situation and the society, which set borders for organizations (education planning) but also for individuals in the inside circle, is described. This circle is going to be general framework for next pieces.

By planning education it is important to be aware of the economical situation. Is there really a need for the profession in which we want to train the new workers, unemployed people or migrants? Or should we better try to find something new (innovations) or counsel people to find their own interests and motives?

Ruud Van der Veen told us that economical aspects are more important, have more influence than cultural aspects in solving multicultural problems like discrimination and racism. Does is mean that we only have to organize vocational training for migrants? Will discrimination disappear if all economical problems are solved and there is work for everyone? We think vocational training is important, but it's not everything. Maybe it can be a basis for a broader program.

During our field visit in IFAD (Institut Formation Animation de Developpement) for example we saw that the main content of the courses is to learn certain skills, but there is a broader context of cultural exchange, expression, social group work,...

Another illustration is the situation in Finland during the economic depression. Many people lost their jobs. It was hard to find a new job for everybody, not only for migrants. Technology also developped very fast and it was really dangerous that unemployed people would be dropped out of the labour market if they would not be able to update their knowledge and skills. Training is not only to give people special knowledge. Nowadays it becomes more important for people to be able to find and select information. It is hard for migrants a job in the new society in comparison with native people. First they need a tool (language, but also cultural orientation) to communicate in society. Only after that it will be possible to come inside the group and find their own place.

Organizations are often defined as social arrangements for achieving controlled performance in the pursuit of collective goals. Organizations are collections of people who interact with each other in a particular way as a consequence of their membership. Membership of an organization requires that objectives and collective goals are shared. Performance is controlled by standards, measuring actual performance, comparing actual with standard and taking corrective action if necessary. The price of failure to perform to the standard is usually loss of memberships. Organizations have a different meaning to those who use them (customers) and who are working in them. Individual member goals can also be different from collective goals. The main question is an organizational dilemma, how to reconcile the potential inconsistency between individual needs and goals, and the collective purpose of the organisation.

We behave and react to the world as we perceive it. (Perception is perhaps the one which sets social science apart from natural science. Individuals see, attach meanings, interpretations, values and aims to our actions). What we do in the world depends on how we understand our place in it, how we perceive ourselves and our social and physical environment, and how we perceive our circumstances. We all live in our own perceptual world. We pick up information from the world around us. The incoming data is processed and interpreted in the light of our past experiences, in terms of our current needs and interests, in term of our knowledge, expections, beliefs and motives. Our experiences also make us able to select useful information. Succesful interpersonal communication depends on some overlap between our perceptual worlds (we have some common perceptions).

This picture is our general framework from which we start to discuss some important items on the different levels.

The question than raises: what can educational organisations and educators do to find a way out, together with the people themselves in concrete situations, in concrete neighbourhoods? What can be the role of the educator or the educational organisation who supports individuals or groups in a multicultural neighbourhood or in the broader society?

Educational organisations can be situated on the meso-level, between the state who makes the rules and the global policy on the one hand, and the group of learners or the individual learners on the other. The educators themselves can be seen as a part of these organisations or as actors who have a direct relationship on the micro-level with the learners. Both kinds of relationships with the learners seem to be important.

We want to search for an answer via two different theories that seem to be very relevant for this question. The first theory is a theory of Wildemeersch about processes of social learning. The second theory we want to use is about selfhood and the perception of strangeness, as explained by O. Schäffter. To prove that all this is not only a theoretical question, we want to apply it on what we have seen and have heard in IFAD.

We think inspiration can be found in a research on the debate of environment, nature and agriculture in 2 Flemish (Belgian) municipalities (Vandenabeele and Wildemeersch, 1997). In recent years, in Flanders as well as in the Netherlands quite some debate is going on about the relation between agriculture, environment and nature. While before the debate on agriculture used to be an internal affair between the sector and the government, nowadays, the debate is also open to other groups in the society. The government tries to direct this new evolution by the foundation of several environmental councils on a municipality and regional level. This creates forums where through dialogue and cooperation, local actors can work on concrete actions for sustainable development of their region. However, the two selected Flemish municipalities involved in the research, differed a whole lot in how the learning opportunities in these councils were used.

In the first municipality, there were many misunderstandings, there was a lot of distrust and a high incidence of the use of power. In spite of the long tradition in the debate between environmentalists an agricultors of this region, both groups still have very opposite interests, which they try to defend using the tool of communication. Communication was never used to question the own point of view, and except for some compromises, there was no real solution found, nor planned projects for sustainable development of the region.

In the second municipality, a much more constructive debate was going on. Since about three years, an environmental organization is active, trying to improve the ecological quality of the open spaces. Within this framework, they handled it to work out a common project of sustainable agriculture, between agricultors and environmentalists. The result was a concrete proposition to subsidize the maintenance of willows and natural pools where animals can drink.

The authors consider this concrete cooperation as a process of social learning. Social learning is the learning of groups or communities to function in circumstances which are new, unexpected, uncertain and difficult to predict as for example social problems. It is aimed at the solution of unforeseen contextproblems. It is caracterized by an optimal use (based on experiences, cooperative communication, critical reflection and interdisciplinarity) of the potential for problem solving which is present in the group.

This perspective could be very important for intercultural learning, because the learning which took place in the second municipality is not so very different from a learning which potentialy takes place when people of two different cultures meet. In fact, agricultors and environmentalists are representing two very different cultures.

By taking a closer look to what characterizes the difference of problem solving in both regions, we probably can find some important cues for the educator who wants to promote intercultural learning in general.

In the second region, the chairman of the council used to be very good in maintaining the dialogue (in a cooperative form) without falling back upon a form of decisionmaking where majority wins from minority. This was not the case in the first region where the role of the chairman was defined as to find a compromise.

A second character of the process in the second region was the critical reflection on the own perspectives. In fact, a few persons were combining the membership of an environmental organization and the strong relations (via family, …) with the agricultural business. This made it easier for them to change between well known and new perspectives and in fact they assumed the role of mediator in the meetings. In the first region, mediators were assuming their role in a less public and less permanent way.

A third necesary aspect –which is also very clearly linked to the former- for social learning is the presence of interdisciplinarity. This promotes a very rich learning environment (an environment full of potential strangeness experiences) because of the very different perspectives it gives. However, as happened in the first region, one perspective can exclude another. There should be enough openness for all perspectives which is not always possible. In fact , too many perspectives can also impede a constructive collaboration.

A last aspect is the directedness towards experience and action. In the second region this resulted in a concrete project. The collaboration for such action can be seen as an important stimulus for social learning. Participation of the different interest groups should however not begin in the phase of implementation, but already in the phase of planning.

If we go back to the example of the ghettos, this perspective of social learning could be very usefull. In troublesome neighbourhoods, the use of this kind of concrete problemcentered projects could give lots of (intercultural and multicultural) learning posibilities, at least if circumstances allow it (when there is at least a minimum of willingness to collaborate amongst the people of different cultures, when there are mediators, …).

It is also a plea for a debate between 2 cultures which is free from power influences, and which does not take the adaption of one culture to another as a starting point.

The role of the educator in this case will be the promotion of such concrete projects, but also of the exchange of meanings and perspectives. It does not assume the role of an expert here, but rather he is a facilitator who guides the process and when possible withdraws himself from the process to give people full responsability for the learning process.

This sensational tendency is in fact not without danger and it helps extremists to defend their point of view. This in turn also has its influence on community work at neighbourhood- or ghetto-level. In Antwerp (Belgium’s second largest city) an extremist political party has quite some weight, and all actions undertaken by community workers to help people live together are undermined by activists of the extremist party. This way, the imagery level and the neighbourhood level are pretty interrelated, and only working on the latter could be quite a marginal approach towards the whole problem.

If we consider the way things generally work, the way of transmitting the imagery is quite passive: the media tell us that… For more active ways there is very little space. Indeed, in universities, in symposiums, on TV,… there are debates about the problem, but the only people that have a voice are the experts. There may thus be a (educational) need for forums (local as well as regional and national) where people of all kinds of social backgrounds can come to discuss multicultural problems, where strangeness experiences can be treated and where communication with people from other cultures can be experimented in a save and harmless way (conditions should be shaped for guaranteeing this safety). It is important to hear many points of view, many voices, a ‘pluralogue’ between cultures. A good example of a forum for discussion and decision making we have found in a Belgian newspaper (De Morgen, 26/2/1999) is about an executive for moslim people that is set up some weeks ago. They are alowed to give advice to the Belgian governement about the Moslim issues. This forum is not only oriented towards reflection and imagery, but also towards real actions. The Moslim executive can influence the daily policy.

After a general framework in which we situated some actors of the multicultural issue, we discussed the role of the educator in multicultural education, both on the individual level and on the grouplevel, and we ended up in what we have called a ‘pluralogue’. Finally we discussed if it is necessary or useful to force people to learn about the dominant culture.

When we reread our paper we have discovered a negative undertone : the migration problem, some migrants are not able to learn, migrants must be forced to learn the language,… It sounds as if migrants only cause problems. But should it not come from both sides ? Who says we have to thrust our own culture upon migrants ? Maybe we can also learn from them.

We do believe in the power of forums with members of different cultures.