CRITERIA FOR SELECTING AND USING
MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Glenna L. Howell, Ph.D.
Literature has extraordinary potential for
moving young people to understanding and to action. Literature
portrays human events and describes the human condition.
Literature takes the reader beyond the facts, entering into
people’s feelings and thoughts about their life experiences.
Literature, thus, seems an ideal vehicle for helping young
people develop sensitivity to cultures other than their own.
Through their experiences with quality literature, young people
can develop their ability to think critically and to empathize
with those from cultures seemingly different from their own.
Concern for multicultural education in the
United States has grown steadily
over the past twenty-five years. This fact might lead many to
assume that the
number of books based in diverse cultures
published for young readers would have increased
proportionately. Sadly, this has not been the case. In fact,
during the 1980s, the number of books by and about minorities
actually declined (Rasinski & Padak, 1990). Recently, however,
there has been a resurgence of
interest in literature that provides readers with insight into
the variety of life-styles,
communities, and experiences of various ethnic groups. Although
quality and
authenticity of multicultural books continues to improve, the
following guidelines may assist in selecting the finest
multicultural books for students:
·
Literature should provide accurate information,
express authentic feelings, and tell interesting stories.
·
Contemporary literature should portray rounded
characters with whom readers can identify.
·
Some of the literature presented about a
particular cultural group
should depict the present-day situation
of that cultural group.
·
Literature should realistically portray
characters from various cultures with their unique features,
avoiding stereotypes.
·
A broad range of literary genres including
poetry, fiction, and drama should be included in multicultural
studies in order to enrich the nonfictional account of a people
or culture.
·
Illustrations should be examined for currency and
avoidance of stereotypes.
·
Literature should demonstrate the individual
differences within a cultural group and the respect accorded the
range of differences within communities.
A Word about Folklore—
Much of the multicultural literature
available today is in the genre of folklore or traditional
literature. Folklore is often richly and elegantly illustrated,
making an excellent addition to the visual representations of a
culture available to students. However, teachers should be
alert to the purposes of this genre which lead it to be
structured differently, resulting in a special set of
instructional problems. Folklore is founded in the oral
tradition: these stories were originally told and sung around
campfires for entertainment and instruction. These stories were
one way a people handed down their customs and mores,
discouraged bad and taboo behaviors, and inculcated morality.
In these stories across cultures, characters are flattened,
stereotyped to portray only a single quality of character or
behavior in order to teach a simple lesson to listeners. The
settings were likewise formulaic since they were not
instrumental in plot or character development and were usually
very well known to listeners.
Folklore can be a useful element of
multicultural study, but students should be guided carefully to
understand that such traditional literature does not reflect the
reality of contemporary life for the culture being studied.
Such tales can enrich students’ understanding of a culture, but
should never serve as a stand-alone representation of any
culture.
