There has been some discussion about culture and history in the homeschool newsgroup that I subscribe to. It was sparked off a comment made by a professor in an article in the newspaper. The professor claimed the following: “”It is my gentle reminder that parents need to expose
their children to the Malaysian culture, and the different races in Malaysia.
With modules from abroad, there are no elements of our local culture so children
miss out on learning about their country and its history.”"
Responses from homeschoolers have been more or less the same, except for one or two deviant reactions. The consensus seems to be that culture is all around us and therefore one cannot help but take it in, like air or water.In addition, there are calls also to expose our children to culture, embodied in museum visits, watching cultural performances and exhibitions. One or two talked of their participation in community projects.
Well and good. Yet , there seems to be something missing from the plethora of opinions. The first has to do with the definition of culture itself. What is culture? Is it something that’s all around us? And if it is, where are we ‘located’- in terms of place and identity? If you live in an upper-middle class neighbourhood and interact predominantly with English-speaking, Chinese Christians in a church setting- the question then is to what extent this is representative of local or Malaysian culture.
The next question that begs to be asked is – what is it that constitutes Malaysia culture? What does it mean to be Malaysian?Shouldn’t we be talking about Malaysian cultures instead?
I for one, would like to draw the distinction between cultural appreciation -the museum visits, the cultural performances, the whole works- and active participation in society. In the former, you are the spectator, even when you try your hand at batik painting or Chinese calligraphy. On the other hand, active participation in society places you -the parent, the citizen, the person- in the ring. You choose to assert your responsibility to affect the society that you live in. For some, that might take the form of socio-political activism, voluntary community work or participation in community events. For others, it might take on something on a ‘minor’ scale- asking your lonely neighbour for ‘teh tarik’ or ‘dim sum’, doing storytelling for a playgroup, looking after your Malay or Indian neighbour’s house for the weekend.
At the heart of the concerns about culture and history is the question of apathy. I for one don’t take too kindly towards those who get all fired up over a human rights march but who, for most of the week can’t be bothered with the needy person next to him/ her. It just doesn’t add up.
So , how does one learn about one’s country? By participating in community. Be a good neighbour. Look out for others, whether you’re in the park, in church or in the mall. For goodness’ sake, don’t live in a Christian bubble that encases church programs, church people and leaves everything and everyone else out. Listen well. Learn the local languages.Read the official textbooks.Then put that aside and talk to people- grandparents, ah cheks and ah chims. Find out about the rich oral history that our ancestors passed on from one generation to another. Find out about how other peoples here conceived of history. Be respectful. Be kind.
So, in one sense you cannot isolate yourself from culture because you are part of society. However, you can become disengaged from the culture around you simply because you choose to be a spectator instead of a participant who can affect change, no matter how small. I for one, have decided for my family which posture we are taking. We’re walking with the full force of the wind beating against our faces and the rain sailing upon our backs.
25/04/2009 at 9:01 am Permalink
Oh yes, I saw this article! Somewhere. . .
Yeah, it’s so very important to differentiate the two definitions of “culture” that are so broadly used by people. You expressed your views so succinctly and plainly in the last sentence. Back to the real culture!
Charge! Haha : )
26/04/2009 at 12:38 am Permalink
Well said.
Identifying the social strata as Middle/Upper Middle in itself, i feel, already suggests the problem, or, at least the greatest potential problem. And that is, that the agenda of the strata is most naturally aligned with the pursuit of wealth, comfort and achievement. And obligations such as nation-building and neighbourliness, even cultural heritage, can often be regarded as means at worst and, well, tiresome tasks at best.
It needs an intentional placement of value on the worth of cultural identity–first one’s own, then others’–before we can actually address this problem.
Christianity can be a two edged sword: it can either be westernising or it can imbue you with an hands-on love for peoples of the world.
27/04/2009 at 12:20 am Permalink
Thanks, Joshua! I’m glad you found it thought-provoking.
Yes, Ian, at the core of contentions over culture is the question of identity. One of the things that I did appreciate about my mission school background is that we, girls, were so “multicultural” – shared jokes, food, hobbies, interests- without trying to be. We weren’t unaware about the ‘race’ thing because well, our parents talked about it at home. We heard neighbours chatting over the fences and kedai runcits about who didn’t get this scholarship and how unfair it was. But the heat of these debates somehow didn’t burn away friendships. Those were the days of the mission school movement.
The homeschool movement has the same potential , I think, to realign Malaysian culture to what it should be. Like the mission school movement- actually more so- the homeschool movement can open shared spaces- for leisure, for debate, for friendships- in a way that the present public school system doesn’t. We have greater autonomy. That’s not to say that parents of public schooled kids can’t do the same- making opportunities for their kids to interact and build friendships with kids of other ethnic groups, economic backgrounds and religions. But there are greater constraints in terms of time, in terms of going against the prejudices that schooling (may) help stoke instead of abolish.