Introduction

Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business

entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade
investments and supported by information technology (Levin Institute, 2017).

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to:

1. globalization and its implications on both the national and individual level;
2. cultural and multicultural literacy in the Philippines; and
3. one’s personal level of cultural and multicultural literacy.

Discussion

GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURAL AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACIES

Consider two people from different countries, for example, the Philippines and South
Korea. Let us say they meet in college and become good friends, so that the Korean comes to
be treated like a member of the Filipino’s family. After some time, the Korean returns to her
own country, but something has changed – she notices an aspect of her culture that she finds
herself wishing to be more Filipino. She knows very well that she cannot change Korean
culture as a whole, so she decides to just change herself. She does not change everything, of
course – just a little thing here and there; she is still obviously Korean, but she just does a few
things differently from those who have never been to the Philippines.

Now suppose a little more time passes and the Korean is very happy with the changes
she has made to her life that makes it just a little more Filipino. The, Filipino, while still
being Filipino through and through, has made a few changes in her life as a result of her
experience of Korean culture through her friend during their years in college. Some of her
friends have also noticed it and have made similar little changes in their own lives.

Because our exposure to the concept of globalization has largely been through an
economic lens, it is tempting to limit globalization as something that concerns economists
and businessmen.

Globalization as a phenomenon is not new. Nations and cultures have been interacting
and integrating with one another for millenia. Consider how ancient Greek culture was so
widespread across the Mediterranean that even the Egyptians could speak their language, and
how Rome was so inspired by Greek culture that they adopted it wholesale. Consider how so
much of the Chinese, Arab, and Indian cultures have become part of our own; these
interactions and subsequent integrations did not happen recently, but even during centuries
before there was even a political entity known as the Philippines.

The Effects of Globalization

The effects of globalization are multi-dimensional. According to Meyer (2000) he

summarizes the effects of globalization as follows:

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

 1. Economic, Political, and Military Dependence and Interdependence between Nations

Economic Dependence/Interdependence

When the term globalization entered the Philippine public mindset in the early 90s, it was
popularly understood to be a mainly economic phenomenon, and a negative one at that. The
idea that foreign-owned businesses could come into the country and freely “set-up-shop”
thereby choking-out local industries was not a welcome thought, even though it was
erroneous.

While Philippine society has come to realize that this early perspective represented a
shallow understanding of globalization, the fact of the matter is that globalization has brought
economic development to our society as a whole. By attracting Foreign Direct Investment,
new technologies, employment opportunities, and money have come into the country.

However, there have been negative effects of globalization. Kentor (2001) notes that
foreign capital dependence increases income inequality in four ways:

● It creates a small, highly paid class of elites to manage these investments, who create
many but usually low-pay jobs;
● Profits from these investments are repatriated, rather than invested in the host country,
therefore inhibiting domestic capital formation;
● Foreign capital penetration tends to concentrate land ownership among the very rich;
and
● Host countries tend to create political and economic climates favorable to foreign
capital that in turn limit domestic labor’s ability to obtain better wages.
In simple words, “the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer.”

Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

A survey conducted in late 2018 found that there in five Filipinos believe that the United
States would intervene on behalf of the country in case of war (Viray, 2018). Despite the
current very conservative stance of the US on its foreign policies, this can be taken as
evidence of the Philippine’s dependence on both the political and military power of the US in
order to maintain its sovereignty as a nation-state in the Southeast Asia region.

The point is that where there are some forms of economic dependence/interdependence,
political dependence/interdependence is not far behind, as the participating nations strive to
protect their investments and interests in one another.

2. Expanded Flow of Individual People among Societies

The fact that globalization encourages the movement of people between nation-states
should come as no surprise to us. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates that
there were 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during the period of April to

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

September 2017, who were responsible for up to 205.2 billion pesos in remittances (PSA,
2018).

Meyer (2002) observes three reasons for this:

a) Socio-economic migration – explains the Philippines OFW phenomenon. Filipinos

travel abroad to find better economic opportunities for themselves and their families
for lack of said opportunities here.
b) Political expulsion – on the other hand, has more to do with trying to escape the
political climate of a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to seek asylum
(and ultimately, resettlement) in another more favorable country.
c) Travel/Tourism – is a strong indicator of economic development as more and more
Filipinos are able to finance short-term travels abroad, fueled by curiosity that is fed
by social media and enabled by globalization.

3. Interdependence of Expressive Culture among Nations

Expressive culture, as the term suggests, deals with how a particular culture expresses
itself in its language, music, arts, and the like. Globalizations encourage the monetization of
these cultural artifacts and their import/export among participating cultures; the increased
consumption of which changes the consuming culture. For example, KPOP music and culture
was a relatively niche occupation ten years ago, with very few people aware of its existence,
let alone actual fance. Today it is practically ubiquitous in Philippine society, alongside the
consumptions of all things Korean, from skin-care products to instant noodles.

4. Expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world.

Instrumental culture, on the other hand, refers to “common models of social order”
(Meyer, 2000) – that is, models or ways of thinking about and enacting national identity,
nation-state policies both domestic and foreign, socio-economic development, human rights,
education, and social progress. A simple example of this is the Philippine educational system:
Closely patterned after the American educational system, education leaders in the country
closely follow the educational trends in America and select European countries, perceiving
them to be the global leaders in the field. While this has served us to an arguably satisfactory
degree thus far it is interesting to observe that the problems and difficulties in America
education eventually show-up in Philippine education, albeit five to ten years removed.

Cultural Literacy

Cultural literacy is a term coined by Hirsch (1983), referring to the ability to

understand signs and symbols of a given culture and being able to participate in its activities
and customs as opposed to simply being a passive (and outside) observer. The signs and
symbols of a culture include both its formal and informal languages, its idioms and forms of
expression, entertainment, values, customs, roles, traditions, and the like – most of which are
assumed and unstated. They are learned by being part of the culture, rather than by any
formal means.

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

 Cultural literacy is culture-specific, but it is not limited to national cultures, contrary
to what many people assume. The culture of one workplace can be very different from
another, for example, just as the culture of a particular school can differ widely from another
school nearby.

Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the government body
tasked with the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture, both
locally and abroad.

The Republic Act 10066 (2010), Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP) has
been designated as the body, together with the Department of Education (DepEd), tasked to
“formulate the cultural heritage education programs both local and overseas Filipinos” that
are to be an integral part of Philippine education in all its aspects.

The cultural literacy in the Philippines is quite a challenge, given that Philippine
culture is a complex blend of many indigenous and colonial cultures and varies widely across
regions, and the average citizen is almost ignorant of other Philippine cultures as foreigners
are.

The biggest challenge of the Filipinos is the deconstruction of the negative self-
images and notions of ourselves that we have imbibed over generations through “a workable,
effective program of education that can make Filipinos more responsive and sensitive to
Filipino dignity, needs, values, and cultural potentials and assets” (De Leon, 2011).

Multicultural Literacy

As cultures begin to mix and change as a result of globalization, conflicts inevitably

arise over identity, values, and worldviews. This situation consequently needs for a literacy
that enables us to quickly and easily identify and resolve such conflicts, preferably before
they even begin. This has come to be understood as multicultural literacy.

Multicultural literacy is defined as the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that
any communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful
such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as
inferior.

In America, multicultural literacy has very strong leanings toward knowing or

identifying the poly-ethnic origins of knowledge with the express goal of fostering equality,
diversity, and social justice. This is in direct response to the “Euro-centric” and “white-
dominant” traditions of education that in the eyes of American cultural minorities
(particularly the blacks) is a form of racial injustice.

In Europe, multicultural literary comes more in the form of intercultural

communication competence (ICC), which is defined by Dusi, Masseti, and Steinbach (2014)
as a composite of skills, abilities, attitudes, personality patterns, etc. necessary for clear and
productive communication with cultures other than our own. Similarly, Fantini (2006)

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

defines it as “a complex of abilities needed to perform effectively and appropriately when
interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from oneself.

The skills and knowledge required for one to be multi-culturally literate are not mere
language skills, since it is assumed that some medium of communication already exists
between two cultures. True multicultural literacy consists of perspectives, attitudes,and
beliefs about cultures that affect the manner in which we communicate and the motives
behind our communication.

Here are some examples:

1. Be selfless
An attitude of selflessness – one that is less concerned with how I feel and
more concerned with how I am making others feel – is crucial to multicultural
literacy, as so much of the offense and conflict associated with the meeting of
different cultures is the result of a “me first” attitude: I should be accommodated, you
should be the one to adjust to me, etc. Such selflessness is not instinctive to people,
and is especially difficult when one feels insecure of oneself and identity.

2. Know that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us
Hand-in-hand with a dismissive attitude toward another culture is the idea that
nothing good can come from them. There is a tendency to ignore or outright dismiss
evidence to the contrary. Simply acknowledging that good ideas and products have
come from cultures we might not like goes a long way in preparing our minds to
perceive them as being equally valuable.

3. Be willing to compromise

Any significant interaction with someone from a different culture is governed

by the principle of “He/She” wants something, and I want something.” In other words,
cultures do not interact out of pure magnanimity. If both of you are willing to give the
other what they want, well and good. But what happens when one or both are
unwilling to give what the other wants? There must be a compromise: a reciprocal
adjustment of demands and expectations to accommodate what the other party is
willing to give.

4. Accept that there are limits

At some point however, one or both cultures will be unwilling/unable to adjust

their wants for the sake of the other any further. The productivity of the interaction
drops and one must either change the purpose of the interaction or walk away,
accepting that what you want cannot be had from that particular source. Attempting to
force the other party to adjust (when you refuse to do the same) only results in
misunderstanding, hurt, and conflict. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can set
realistic expectations of one another.

Issues in Teaching and Learning Multicultural Literacy in the Philippines

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

 A number of important issues stand in the way of Philippine educators attempting to
learn multicultural literacy for themselves and teach it in turn to others, which are different
from what can be found in Western literature, particularly those of the United States.

● Conflicting requirements for peace

When all is said and done, the heart of multicultural literacy is peace among
different cultures – that is, productive and non-violent interaction. It is easy to assume
that all cultures value peace to the same degree and are therefore willing to make the
same compromises in order to attain it, but this is not necessarily true.

Example: Israeli/Palestinian conflict, which is really a conflict over territory:

Both sides desire peace, but they do not desire it enough to be willing to compromise.
In a very real sense, both sides would rather live in perpetual conflict with one another
rather than give-up their claim to the land which each side believes is rightfully their.

● Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback

The increasing demand for multicultural sensitivity, inclusion, and diversity in

recent years has also given rise to resistance from groups who believe that their
identity is being “watered-down” by the needed compromises.

Case in the point is the very recent proposal of “Ortograpiya ti Pagsasao nga
Ilokano'' by officials of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) in October of 2018.
The proposal was met with intense backlash from group of Ilokano writers and
language advocates over the “incompetence in preparing the Ilokano and orthography
that didn’t conform with the existing orthography being used by the Ilokano writers
and experts,” claiming that the proposed orthography was based on Tagalog and not
Ilokano and that commission’s attempts to compel the regional language to conform
to the standards of the Ortograpiyang Pambansa (National Orthography) would
“destroy the identity of the Ilokano language” (Dumlao, 2018).

We see that while multicultural inclusiveness is by and large a good thing, it

comes at a cost. Part of the identity of the host culture becomes diluted and lost – the
inevitable result of the compromises necessary for it to have some form of
multicultural understanding. In effect, pushing for multicultural inclusion might very
well be asking some cultures to decide which has more value: inclusion or identity?

● The persistence of the problem

Multicultural literacy might seem to just be a matter of “good common sense,” and
understandably so, no one actively desires to experience discrimination regarding
what they know and what they can and cannot do simply on the basis of race,
ethnicity, or in the case of the Philippines, region of origin. It therefore makes perfect
sense to collectively refrain from such behavior under the assumption that “If you
don’t do it to me, I won’t do it to you.”

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

 The primary issue that educators face in teaching multicultural literacy to their
students and learning it for themselves is, “Why does this problem persist?” Or to put
in another way, “despite all our advances in science, technology, and culture, why is
still a problem today?”

● The question of value

Another issue in teaching and learning multicultural literacy is better posited

as a question: “Why should I treat people of another culture with respect?”

It might seem that the answer to the question is a simple one: for peace. But as
we have seen earlier, not everyone values peace to the same degree. What if, for a
certain culture, it is easier to just destroy anyone who opposes them rather than
expend the effort needed to come to a mutual understanding?

SUMMARY

● Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business

entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade
and investment and supported by information technology.
● Cultural literacy is the knowledge and understanding of the life of a culture to the
point where one can fluently participate in the activities of the said cultures. This
includes, but is not limited to its languages, traditions, values beliefs, forms of
entertainment, and worldviews.
● Multicultural literacy is the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any
communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, respectful
such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as
inferior.
● The skills and knowledge required to be multiculturally literate are:

1. Selflessness;
2. Knowledge that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different
from us;
3. Willingness to compromise;
4. Acceptance that are there are limits; and
5. Idea that we cannot be friends with everyone.
● The issues in teaching and learning multicultural literacy in the Philippines are the
nationalistic/regionalistic pushback, the persistence of the problem, and the question
of value.

Name: Date:

Course/Yr/Section: Score:

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

Exercises

Read the questions and instructions carefully. Write your answers in the space
provided. 5 points each.

1. What makes a person Filipino? If a person has Filipino parents but is born in another
country, is he/she still a Filipino? What about if a person with foreign parents is born
and raised in the Philippines, is he/she Filipino? Explain your answer.

2. Describe globalization to a peer.

3. Explain to a peer what multi-cultural literacy is.

Learning Activities

1. Interview students in your school who are part of the cultural minority. They could be
foreigners or fellow Filipinos who belong to a different ethnolinguistic group. Ask
them about their culture, their difficulties in adjusting to the mainstream culture, and
how students like you can help them. (20pts)

2. How can you teach multicultural literacy in the classroom? (20pts)

Reflections

Answer the following essay questions: (10pts each)

1. Consider regional discrimination in the Philippines: If woman speaks Cebuano or

bisaya in Manila, she is often assumed to be a maid or yaya; If a man speaks Tagalog
with a heavy, provincial accent, he is often assumed to be a laborer, driver, or
involved in some form of manual or servile labor. What are your own discriminatory
practices?

2. What skills an d knowledge do you need to improve to become multiculturally

literate?

3. Why should you as an individual respect and value people who are different from
you?

Suggested Readings

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies

Erickson, K., & Koppenhaver, D. (2020). Teaching Students Significant Disabilities to Read
and Write. Comprehensive Literacy For All.

Resources and Additional Resources

Alata, E. & Ignacio, E. (2019). Building and enhancing new literacies across the curriculum,
first edition. Rex Book Store, INC.
De Leon, F. (2011). In focus: cultural identity and development. National Commission for
Culture and the Arts. Retrieved from [Link]
Dumlao, A. (2018). Beyond the illusion of diversity: how early childhood teachers can
promote social justice. The Social Studies, 99(4), 165-173.
Fantini A. (2006). Exploring and assessing intercultural competence. Retrieved from
http:/[Link]/publications/docs/feil/_research_report.pdf.
Hirsch, E. (1983). Cultural literacy. the American Scholar, 52(2), 159-169.
Kentor, J. (2001). The long-term effects of globalization on income inequality, population
growth, and economic development. Social problems, 48(4), 435-455.
Levin Institute (2017). What is globalization? Globalization 101. The University of New
York. Retrieved from https:/?[Link]/what-is-globalization/.
Meyer, J. (2000). Globalization: sources and effects on national states and societies.
International Sociology, 15(2), 233-248.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (2015). Philippine cultural education program
(PCEP). Retrieved from [Link]
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2018). 2017 survey on overseas Filipinos. Retrieved from
[Link]
Viray, P. (2018). 3 in 5 Filipinos believe US will defend Philippines - SWS. Philippine Star.
Retrieved from [Link]

Module 2 (week 3-4): Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural Literacies