Literature Representing

Diverse Perspectives

1
Why Bother?

 We live in segregated neighborhoods

 Our first interaction with other cultures
often comes from movies, books, and
other media
 People of color make up at least 25% of
our population and increases each year.
 Knowledge of other cultures helps
increase tolerance
2
Types of Diversity

 Gender
 Culture
 Ethnic
 Racial background
 Language
 Physical and mental abilities

3
What Role Does Literature Play?

 Literature portrays diversity in natural

ways and can spark discussion.
 Can enhance students’ understanding
of others.
 Books of diverse perspectives are found
in all genres.

4
Why Should Literature Be
Multicultural?
 Makes students feel welcome if their
people and perspective are included in
the texts and literature they read.
 Helps those in the “mainstream” learn
about others they will interact with.

5
Two Ends of the Spectrum

 Culturally Generic Books

– Generally American in theme and plot, the
inclusion seems to be incidental at times while
purposeful at other times, but the theme remains
culturally generic.
– Even though they aren’t culturally specific, they
are valuable because they present characters of
other cultures and universal themes, which shows
that people are the same.

6
 Culturally Specific Books
– Illuminate the experience of members of a specific
cultural group
– The daily life, language, attitudes, values and
beliefs of members are accurately portrayed.
– Helps others share the culture and universal
qualities of character as well as differences.

7
Issues

 Cultural Authenticity
– Written by authors with a cultural
conscientious
– Make members of the culture feel they
have been accurately portrayed and
represented.
– They engender racial and cultural pride
– Does not mislead or convey incorrect
images of a culture.
8
Insider vs Outsider Perspective

 Insider - author is of the culture being

written about.
 Outsider - author is of a different culture
and writes from association,
experiences, and research.
 Is it possible for a culture to be
accurately represented by an outsider?

9
Stereotyping

 Using a single set of attributes to

represent an entire culture.
 To determine if a stereotype is true, find
out if the people of the culture embrace
the attribute about themselves.

10
Identification of Cultural Groups

 Always included: Asian, African

American, Latino, Native Americans.
 Others: Jewish Americans, Appalachian
Americans
 European American are usually
excluded because they are seen as the
mainstream.

11
Criteria for Evaluating and
Selecting
 Do the author and illustrator present insider
perspectives?
 Is the culture portrayed multidimensionally?
 Are cultural details naturally integrated?
 Are details accurate and is the interpretation
current?
 Is language used authentically?
 Is the collection balanced?

12
Awards

 General awards: Newbery and

Caldecott
 Coretta Scott King Award - African
American authors and illustrators whose
books promote an understanding an
dappreciation of the culture and
contribution of all people to the
realization of the “American Dream”
13
 Pura Belpré Award - Latino author who
best depicts the Latino culture
 Asian Pacific American Award for
Literature - Asian Pacific American
writers in three categories: literature for
children and young adults is one
category.

14
 Hans Christian Andersen Award -
international award to honor an author
who made a significant contribution to
children’s literature.
 Mildred Batchelder Award - books
originally published in another language
and translated.

15
Literature about Diverse
Perspectives
 Gender Equity and Gender Roles
– Portray males and females appropriately
– Homosexuality and alternative family
structures
 Social Diversity: poverty, low social
class, homelessness, illiteracy, migrant
lifestyle
 People with exceptionalities

16