1. Culture, Cultural Relativism and Cultural Competency
BY SUJATA WARRIER
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Formerly, Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence |
April 2003
© Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Gender-Based Violence

2. GROUND RULES
Challenge yourself regarding your beliefs and assumptions.
Take responsibility for listening to new ideas and different perspectives.
Speak for yourself out of your own personal experiences.
You will be expected to discuss issues beyond your personal level of comfort.
Honor personal information shared in the session by keeping it confidential.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

3. Why Should We Consider Culture?
Culture shapes an individual’s experience of domestic violence.
Culture shapes the batterer’s response to intervention and acceptance of responsibility.
Culture shapes access to other services that might be crucial for the victim.
The culture of the system, the advocate or the professional and the victim will impact outcome.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

4. Explanations…. Exercise Process
think of a difficult case you had where the victim refused to follow any course of action
Come up with the explanation you thought of first to understand what was going on;
list three more
share with three of your colleagues and see how many explanations you can come for each of your cases
Process
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

5. WHAT IS CULTURE?
Historically and anthropologically thought to be a stable pattern of beliefs, values, thoughts, norms etc.. that are transmitted from generation to generation for successfully adapting to other group members and their environment.
This is an outdated definition.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

6. Definition Of Culture
A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in relation to changing social and political contexts, based on:
race
ethnicity
national origin
sexuality
gender
religion
age
class
disability status
immigration status
education
geographic location (space)
rural, urban,
time, or
other axes of identification
within the historical context of oppression
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

7. Culture (s)…...
The categories of race, class etc. do not exist in isolation from each other.
They intersect and interconnect in different ways for different individuals in the same groups as well as for different groups at different times and differently over different spaces.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

8. Culture (s) ……. Are about contestation.
Consist of permeable boundaries.
Packaged pictures of different cultures are idealized constructions.
Often may reflect actual practices or social life.
Reflect the values and practices of a privileged group.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

9. Cultural Identity
Refers to the way in which a person defines himself or herself culturally, based on that person’s unique set of experiences.
Might contain contradictory, multi-faceted and often-changing elements. For example:
a person might identify as Italian and not speak a single word of Italian,
a person who grew up working class might now identify as a white-collar professional,
a biracial person might identify with both heritages,
a gay or lesbian might identify with organized religion that does not accept homosexuality.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

10. Cultural Identity
Cultural identity can influence how others see the presence or absence of violence against women.
Persons might identify strongly with one culture than another, might experience several identities simultaneously or might shift between identities.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

11. Cultural Identity
It is dangerous to use categories to characterize and define an individual; this creates and perpetuates cultural stereotypes and misinformation.
Every individual, regardless of initial appearance has a rich cultural identity.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

12. Identities and Location
Locate oneself and examine subject position - vis a vis race, class, and other axes of identification.
The “I”is not an isolated event but is caught up in the complexities that comprise culture.
The ability to construct one’s identity is not a luxury available to all.
Linkages between who am I and what do I claim to know.
Also we need an account of the linkages.
11/25/2018
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

13. REMEMBER...
Culture is complex, fluid, changing and bound by time and space.
Identities are also bound by time and space and are usually multifaceted.
Therefore…. Achieving Cultural Competency…..
Is a challenge and a continuing process.
There are no simple answers.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

14. Violence Against Women
Violence against women (VAW) occurs on a continuum - beginning with female foetcide and ending with women murder and includes female infanticide, incest, sexual harassment, poverty, and domestic violence.
VAW can also be understood as occurring on a tightening spiral or a coil or as a corkscrew.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

15. Violence Against Women
Our work focuses on restoring agency to women.
Understanding the contextual nature of violence against women during her life cycle is crucial to resolving trauma and restoring agency.
Violence against women is a world wide phenomena occurring in all communities and groups.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

16. Violence Against Women
As much as patriarchal domination varies in shape, form and texture so too does violence against women.
Since violence is used to control women in patriarchal societies, it is important to understand the nature of patriarchy and its relationship to other forms of oppression such as racism, colonialism, heterosexuality etc.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

17. Violence Against Women
Violence against women is more than just physical, sexual, emotional abuse.
It is about living in a climate of fear, misery, loss, humiliation and despair.
So any system,issue or activity that destroys a woman’s agency is violent.
This broad framework is an essential element to furthering our work.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

18. Working Assumptions IN GENERAL:
Women and men have the right to live free from violence and any advocate can take preventive action against domestic violence.
Victims have the right to safety and self-determination, which might include staying with the perpetrator, family and community or leaving the relationship.
The batterer is responsible for the violence.
Domestic violence cuts across race, ethnicity, class, sexual identity, religious affiliation etc..
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

19. Working Assumptions (Con’t)
CULTURALLY COMPETENT ASSUMPTIONS:
All cultures are contradictory in that there are both widespread acceptance of domestic violence as part of society and traditions of resistance. All cultures have values that are oppressive as well as those that are nurturing.
Each victim is not only a member of her/his community, but a unique individual with their own responses. The complexity of a person’s response to domestic violence is shaped by multiple factors.
Each individual comes into the any encounter with cultural experiences and perspectives that might differ from those others of the same group.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

20. CULTURAL MISINFORMATION
Refers to historical information about a group of people that is applied as a generalization to an individual.
It limits what we can see and understand about an individual.
Associates a set of attributes to a group and then applies group attributes to an individual of that group.
Describes how most people of a group supposedly behave and how they should behave.
Often used to justify mistreatment of individuals by the dominant culture.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

21. CHECKLIST FOR REDUCING THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL MISINFORMATION
Recognize that it is impossible to reduce the receipt of misinformation about different cultures.
Examine generalizations that you hear about different groups.
Broaden your understanding and sensitivity to other cultures through a variety of means.
Listen to expressions about stereotypes of other cultures.
Gather information from individual in the courtroom and evaluate the information as it relates to that person’s experiences.
Reach beyond your comfort level.
Avoid temptation to generalize - apply only to the situation in which you received it.
Increase your attention to cultural information.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

22. CULTURAL COMPETENCY Incorporates an awareness of one’s biases
Combines general knowledge about various cultures with specific information provided by the survivor.
Approaches the definition of culture with a reflective eye and an open mind.
Recognizes that diversity exists both within cultures and between cultures.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

23. Process of Cultural Competence
Process means that a person:
learns to recognize and reject his or her preexisting beliefs about a particular culture,
focuses on understanding information provided by individuals within the context at hand,
forgoes the temptation to classify or label persons. Avoid fixed and generalized information.
11/25/2018
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

24. Process of Cultural Competence
Every human being holds perceptions about different cultures. Must use deliberate and intentional process to examine cultural misinformation.
Culture includes a broad spectrum of identities.
Awareness is a complex skill gained over time.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

25. Process of Cultural Competence
Cultural competence does not mean learning as many “characteristics” as possible about every culture.
It is not a one-time, finite achievement. It is a process that is applied to ensure an understanding of the context of the story and an analysis of the facts and circumstances of the particular case.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

26. Cultural Competency Begins With:
Being aware of one’s biases, prejudices and knowledge about a victim. For example,
Do not make assumptions based on appearance.
Use appropriate language.
Be aware of assumptions of family.
Recognizing professional power and avoiding the imposition of those values. For example,
Use non-judgmental questions
Listen to the victim. For example,
Let them narrate their story.
Do not assume people have resources.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

27. CULTURAL COMPETENCY BEGINS WITH:
Gathering information about the victim’s interpretation of their culture. For example in assessment:
“what is it like for you to talk about this problem in your community?”
Validating the victim’s strengths. For example in intervention:
thank them for sharing and acknowledge existing support systems and efforts to keep safe.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

28. CULTURAL COMPETENCY BEGINS WITH:
Insuring victim safety and self-determination. For example,
Safety plans that take into account culturally specific needs.
Developing linkages with the community. For example,
Give culturally appropriate referrals.
Work with community based agencies.
Negotiating the acceptance of a different set of values. For example,
Remember, it takes time for people to accept new systems and ideas.
Patience is the key.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

29. Interventions “work” when the advocate:
Is aware of one’s own assumptions, and biases about the victim.
Is able to elicit complex social and cultural information and combines it with general knowledge.
Respects the victim’s hopes and fears and norms about privacy and dignity.
The suggested intervention makes sense from the victim’s cultural frame of reference.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

30. Power is…. Power is exercised, rather than possessed.
Power is productive.
Power is analyzed as coming from the bottom up.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

31. Dynamics of Difference
Difference can be understood as:
experience
social relation
subjectivity
identity
Varieties of ways in which specific ideas are constituted, contested, reproduced and resignified.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

32. Dynamics of Difference
“…encourage us to tolerate and interpret ambivalence, ambiguity, and multiplicity as well as expose the roots of our need for imposing order and structure no matter how arbitrary and oppressive these needs may be. If we do our work well, reality will appear more unstable, complex and disorderly than it does now.”
J.Flax, Thinking Fragments:Psychoanalysis, Feminism and Postmodernism in the Contemporary West. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.56-7
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

33. “World Travelling1” method of Cultural Competency
Culturally challenging practices require a vision of independence and connectedness.
Arrogant perception creates distance between oneself and “the Other”.
Preserve the independence of the other while creating a basis for shared values and for human rights and dignity.
“Travelling” is the shift from being one person in the world to a different person in another world.
Difference is part of a coherent whole.
1Gunning, Isabella “Female Genital Surgeries,” Columbia Human Rights Law Review 23(2):
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

34. “World Travelling” method of Cultural Competency
The recognition of independence and interconnectedness requires:
understanding oneself in one’s own historical context with an emphasis on the overlaps, influences, and conditions one observes in the other.
Understand one’s historical relationship to the other - see the self as the other sees you
must see the other in their own context.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

35. Commitment to Working with Diversity
It is morally the right thing to do
It is absolutely necessary to build community collaboration so that particular communities can take responsibility for addressing violence against women.
It helps battered women’s advocates and programs provide quality care for victims of domestic violence.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

36. Stereotypes
Research indicates that stereotyping is part of the normal psychological process of categorization, that under pertinent circumstances can lead to inaccurate and potentially harmful generalizations about individuals and groups.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

37. Categorization
The process by which we classify items, objects, or concepts, placing them together in groupings on the basis of their similarities with each other.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

38. Stereotypes
A set of attributes ascribed to a group and imputed to its individual members simply because they belong to that group.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

39. Stereotypes Descriptive Stereotypes Prescriptive Stereotypes
tell how most people in the group supposedly behave, what they allegedly prefer, and where their competence supposedly lies.
Prescriptive Stereotypes
tell how certain groups should think, feel, and behave.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

40. Stereotype matching advantage
indicates that information that fits one’s stereotypes is automatically processed; it is easy to take in, making stereotypes seem to fit automatically.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

41. SUMMARY
The brain, through such processes as categorization and stereotype-matching advantage, processes information through various short-cuts that tend to reinforce our expectations, especially under stressful circumstances.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

42. SUMMARY (cont...)
The elimination of stereotypes requires more than good will. It requires: awareness of stereotypes, motivation to avoid reliance upon them, and an intentional thought process.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

43. SUMMARY We are all products of our culture and experience
As such, we hold or are aware of many assumptions about our own and other groups
Sources of stereotypes are many
Effects may be positive or negative
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

44. Roles and Preoccupations
There are three roles or preoccupations that we often deal with when talking about culture in various settings:
Emissary
Mirror
Authentic Insider
The ideas of the roles and occupations are derived from and discussed in detail by Uma Narayan in her book Dislocating Cultures.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

45. Roles and Preoccupations
These roles are often assigned so it is necessary to reflect on them.
It is important to remember that when we occupy any of these roles we enter a space where there are a lot of concerns around inclusion, diversity, multiculturalism.
These concerns can shape our entrance, influence what is expected and gives us a place that puts us in our place.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

46. Problems of speaking….. Must include speaking of others.
If we refuse to speak for others we may refuse a powerful platform to support struggles..retreating into a respectful silence avoids the pain and emotionally troublesome endeavor of constant interrogation and critical reflection.
Disentitling the dominator from speaking about the other can produce discourse that is as exclusivist, as limited, as provincial and discriminatory in its suppressions and repressions.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

47. Seeing Ourselves
Knowledge of the other helps us question our own practices.
Differences are differences of power.
Coalition work does not mean
submission to the other
does not advocate incorporation of the other
It means walking the tightrope od connection, distance and power.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

48. Seeing Ourselves..
Recognizing our common humanity means that we know that “without her I am nothing.”4
There has to be a simultaneous other focus” not merely who am I? But who is the other woman? How am I naming her? How does she name me?
4Probyn. E Sexing the Self: Gendered Positions in Cultural Studies. Routledge:
London. P. 163
5Spivak, G, 1990 in Hardcare and Manderson.p.17
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

49. Role of Emissary
This approach focuses on the cultural riches and avoids all “cultural problems”.
Focus on “high culture”.
Convey the riches to an appreciative audience.
Idealizing the culture.
Crucial to undoing negative stereotypes.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

50. Role of Emissary
Fails to pay attention to the material, social and political contexts in which achievements take place.
Is not self-reflective.
Issues of agency, articulation and the role of feminism and women’s issues.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

51. Role of the Mirror
This role facilitates the mainstream to take an interest in the Other without subjecting them to negative criticism confirming the predations and depredations of the West.
Attribute problems in communities to colonization, imperialism and globalization.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

52. Role of the Mirror
Role is still focused on the mainstream and acts as a mirror.
Unnuanced and totalizing.
Lack of agency in being able to return the gaze.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

53. The Authentic Insider
Permits and sanctions the articulation of political and social analysis.
Needs an actual person who can speak in a critical way.
Permits more sustained attention to issues and problems within the culture.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

54. The Authentic Insider
Proprietary position between advocate and culture.
Singularity of voice.
Sets limits on what the person can speak on.
Issue of representation and authenticity.
Position is conferred.
©Sujata Warrier, 2001

55. Reminder
“Our struggle is for a fundamental change in social relationships rather than for a per community quota of representations in the parliament of “race” and “ethnicities.” We are engaged in politics, linking theories with practices, examining ideologies through our lives, and our lives through revolutionary ideas. We are not shopping in the market of cultural differences”.
Bannerji, Himani “Returning the Gaze:An Introduction,” in Returning the Gaze. Toronto: Sister Vision, p.xxix
©Sujata Warrier, 2001