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Cultural Democracy Through the process of examining more fully the link between culture and power, it becomes quite evident that in order to move toward a genuinely laboratory form of cultural democracy there must exist in theory and practice an emancipatory political construct on which to build a critical bi cultural pedagogy. This is particularly true given the asymmetrical power relations in American society. Significant to this discussion is the notion of student voice and empowerment and the conditions required for bi cultural students to develop their bi cultural voice and experience a process of empowerment. In more specific terms, there must exist a democratic environment where the lived cultures of bi cultural students are critically integrated into the pedagogical process, which is the meaning of cultural democracy at large. Keeping these principles in mind, a critical theory of cultural democracy emerges as part of a language of possibility and hope.
In the same spirit of human equality and social justice that is so clearly found in John Dewey writings on democratic schooling and, more recently, in the work of Henry Giroux on critical democracy, a critical theory of cultural democracy seeks to function as an educational construct that can transform the nature of classroom life. Above all, it represents a concerted effort to awaken the bi cultural voice of students of color and cultivate their critical participation as active social agents in this world. This is particularly essential in light of the many social forces of domination at work in the lives of bi cultural students. A philosophy of cultural democracy was defined originally by Mexican-American educators Manuel Ramirez and Alfredo Castaneda (Ramirez M. , and Castaneda A, 1974). It is based primarily on the principle that every individual has the right to maintain a bi cultural identity. Since the critical theory of cultural democracy is an effort to expand on some of the ideas formulated by various researchers, the meaning of biculturalism and its implications for establishing a culturally democratic environment must first be considered as a necessary part of a culturally emancipatory discourse.
Biculturalism refers to a process wherein individuals learn to function in two distinct sociocultural environments: their primary culture, and that of the dominant mainstream culture of the society in which they live. (Ramirez M. , and Castaneda A, 1974) It represents the process by which bi cultural human beings mediate between the dominant discourse of educational institutions and the realities that they must face as members of subordinate cultures. More specifically, the process of biculturation incorporates the different ways in which bi cultural human beings respond to cultural conflicts and the daily struggle with racism and other forms of cultural invasion. (Levine, Lowe, Peterson and Tenorio, 1995) It is essential that educators recognize that, just as racism constitutes a concrete form of domination directly experienced only by people of color, biculturalism specifically addresses the different strategies of survival adopted by people of color in response to the dynamics of living in constant tension between conflicting cultural values and conditions of cultural subordination. Although the responses may bear a similarity to those that result from conditions of class oppression, an analysis of biculturalism cannot be reduced simply to notions of class conflict. The "attack on culture is more than a matter of economic factors. It differs from the class situation of capitalism precisely in the importance of culture as an instrument of domination" ().
Thus, simply to consider the lived experiences of bi cultural populations as only dictated by forces related to class conflict is to fall into a reductionist ic theoretical trap that results in trivializing and distorting the cultural struggles for equality of people of color in the United States. In examining the notion of biculturalism, it is of major significance that, since the early 1900 s, writers, educators, and social theorists have made references in their work to the presence of some form of dual or separate socialization process among people. These references have included a variety of constructs used to describe the personality development, identity, or traits of non-Whites socialized in a racist society: double consciousness; double vision; bi cultural; digital; multidimensional; and other references that closely resemble notions of duality and tones (Levine, Lowe, Peterson and Tenorio, 1995). These many studies of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American populations clearly indicate that a bi cultural phenomenon is present in the development of people of color. They also support the notion of biculturalism as a mechanism of survival that constitutes forms of adaptive alternatives in the face of hegemonic control and institutional oppression. Further, these alternatives must be understood as forms of resistance that may -- or may not -- function in the emancipatory interest of the individuals who utilize them in their lives.
What emerges from this discussion on democracy and the process of schooling are the fundamental principles on which to develop further a critical theory of cultural democracy. (Ramirez M. , and Castaneda A, 1974) Central to any theory that seeks to speak to the notion of democracy in the classroom is the necessary requirement that it address seriously the themes of student participation, solidarity, common interest, and the development of voice. It is not enough to focus on specific cultural and / or cognitive determinants or questions related to curricular content. This is not to say that certain aspects of these educational concerns are not vital to a bi cultural pedagogy, but rather to emphasize that these alone will not necessarily ensure a democratic environment. If bi cultural students are to become competent in the democratic process, they must be given the opportunities to experience it actively as it gradually becomes a part of their personal history. But this can only be accomplished if there exists a culturally democratic educational environment in which students may participate actively and freely, and where they will receive the consistent support and encouragement required for them to develop their bi cultural voice so they may learn to use it toward their social empowerment and emancipation.
The concept of voice constitutes one of the most important democratic essentials related to the process of student empowerment and the ability to participate in and influence the manner in which power is relegated in society -- so much so that any theory of cultural democracy must specifically consider the development of voice as it relates to the pedagogical needs of bi cultural students. (Levine, Lowe, Peterson and Tenorio, 1995) This is particularly significant given the forces of hegemony and cultural invasion at work in the manner that bi cultural students perceive themselves, their communities, and their ability to participate in the world. Students can only develop their voice through opportunities to enter into dialogue and engage in a critical process of reflection from which they can share their thoughts, ideas, and lived experiences with others in an open and free manner. Herein lies a primary requirement that so often is missing in the classroom experience of bi cultural students. This generally occurs because the dominant pedagogy of American schools predominantly reflects the values, worldview, and belief system of the dominant culture's middle and upper classes, while it neglects and ignores the lived experiences of subordinate cultures. (Ramirez M. , and Castaneda A, 1974) Hence, students of color are silenced and their bi cultural experiences negated and ignored, while they are systematically educated into the discourse of the dominant culture -- an ethnocentric ideology that perceives the discourse of the other as inferior, invaluable, and deficient in regard to the aims of American society. This manifests itself in various forms of cultural invasion that, consciously or unconsciously, teach bi cultural students to deny their lived cultures and their bi cultural voice, and to take on uncritically the ideology of the dominant culture. In light of the hegemonic forces active in the hidden curriculum and in classroom relations, the bi cultural voice can seldom develop within the school context unless students of color receive the opportunity to enter into dialogue with one another.
It is primarily through the dynamics of the bi cultural dialogue that students can come together to reflect on the common lived experiences of their bi cultural process and their common responses to issues of cultural resistance, alienation, negotiation, affirmation, and oppression. In this way, bi cultural students can begin to break through the rigidly held perspectives that can result when those who hold power in authentically name their experience for them. Also important to this process is the role of the bi cultural educator who functions as guide, model, and support, and who facilitates the critical (and often fearful) journey into the previously prohibited terrain of the bi cultural discourse -- a discourse that is often only felt or sensed, and seldom articulated. In spite of this pedagogical need, most teachers of color repeat the educational patterns they experienced as children and later learned in teacher education programs. Hence, what generally occurs in most classrooms is the silencing of the bi cultural experience by teachers who have been trained to concentrate their efforts on creating an inauthentic climate of cohesion, conformity, and harmony. In so doing, they fail to involve bi cultural students in their own learning and to provide opportunities for them to enter into dialogue regarding the cultural conflicts and social contradictions they experience in the classroom and in their communities.
Further, in order for bi cultural students to develop both an individual and social sense of empowerment in their lives, they need to establish relationships with both white and bi cultural teachers who are genuinely committed to a democratic vision of community life. When students actually experience the process of white teachers and bi cultural teachers working together to address issues related to cultural differences and conflicts, they also come to better understand cultural democracy and learn to participate in cross-cultural dialogues in ways that truly respect and honor the emancipatory rights of all people. Critical educators from the dominant culture demonstrate a spirit of solidarity and possibility when they willingly challenge both cultural values and institutional conditions of inequity despite the fact that these potentially function to their material benefit. Their refusal to accept social conditions of entitlement and privilege for themselves at the expense of oppressed groups helps to lay the groundwork for relations with people of color based on a solidarity and commitment to social justice and equality. (Richardson K. , and Spears D, 1992) Such educators truly recognize the need to create conditions in the classroom that empower students of color and to open opportunities that historically have remained closed to these students. Operating from this perspective, programs developed under such mandates as affirmative action and equal educational opportunity are given support as beginning efforts toward social equality, rather than seen as somehow taking away from members of the dominant culture. The way in which teachers themselves address these issues in the larger world is significant, because it usually also reflects how they relate with students of color in the course of their daily interactions with them in the classroom.
It is also essential that students of color experience a variety of teachers of color during the course of their schooling. Bi cultural educators who are socially conscious bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that often resonates with the realities that students of color experience in their own lives. (Richardson K. , and Spears D, 1992) Many of these teachers are bilingual, understand the complexity of their students' cultural worldviews, are knowledgeable about their history and literature, are cognizant of the different styles in which students learn and communicate, are conscious of the rules of appropriate relationships and interactions among people, and know the communities from which their students come. As a consequence, bi cultural teachers are generally more able to use their own learning experiences and knowledge of their cultural values to develop effective curricula that engage with issues related to cultural diversity. In addition, through their knowledge of community, they are able to find ways in which to integrate the students' lived culture into classroom relationships.
They are also more genuinely able to affirm and support the development of the bi cultural voice, given their ability to engage with the lived conditions of cultural domination and resistance. Hence, it must be recognized that bi cultural teachers serve vital roles as models for students of color -- many of whom have seldom witnessed people of color in positions of power and influence. Most importantly, through their experiences with critical bi cultural educators, bi cultural students are more concretely challenged and supported as they come to redefine their possibilities within the context of American society and promote cultural democracy in this very society. Bibliography Levine, Lowe, Peterson and Tenorio. 1995. Rethinking Schools: An Agenda for Change. New York: The New Press.
Ramirez M. , and Castaneda A. 1974. Cultural Democracy: Bi cognitive Development and Education. New York: Academic Press. Richardson K. , and Spears D. 1992. Race and Intelligence. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
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