COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Issue 4: Race relations
A) Superficial understanding of racial and religious harmony
Participants expressed mixed responses towards the efficacy of events such as
Racial Harmony Day in promoting interracial unity. They generally agreed
that such events are superficial because they do not tackle issues such as
casual racism, negative stereotypes, and lack of awareness of other races and
their ways. Efforts to promote racial harmony were seen as unsustainable due
to a lack of constant engagement and involvement.
Efforts to celebrate diversity such as donning ethnic costumes were seen as
facetious rather than effectively promoting cultural appreciation. Participants
shared their experiences of seeing members of other races wearing Indian
clothing without attempting to understand their context. Simultaneously,
participants expressed their inclination to wear Indian or Western clothes
during Racial Harmony Day, which raises a deeper issue of whether Indians
lack the interest to learn about other cultural practices. This is significant as it
may foster ignorance of other cultures in the long run. It is imperative to
engender understanding and appreciation, rather than ignorance and
misconceptions, of other social groups.
Participants also highlighted the lack of open and frequent discussions on
race relations in schools, which deters a deeper understanding of other races.
According to author Charlene Tan in 2012, the practice of multiracialism
through events such as Racial Harmony day does not facilitate students’
cultural competence by teaching them to understand the underlying beliefs,
values, and assumptions motivating the behaviour of racial groups. Instead, this
leads to cultural stereotypes. Similar sentiments were shared by participants
in relation to donning ethnic clothing.
Source: Tan, C. (2012). Deep Culture Matters: Multiracialism in Singapore Schools. International Journal of
Educational Reform, 21(1), 24–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/105678791202100102
Maathi Yosi | 2019
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