Playing the Politically Correct Card? Absolutely!

This blog was written for my social work placement unit, on culturally sensitive practice. The title refers ironically to the offensive term 'playing the Indigenous card'.

The term ‘culture’ refers to the customs and traditions of a particular group. Under the umbrella of ‘Western culture’, for example, sit many other cultures and identities. In a social work context, culture can be seen as a range of customs and traditions which define our individual identity, and which arguably can be associated with social constructs such as:

Race, nationality, religion, spirituality, country or state of origin, sexuality, gender, social class, place, time, workplace, football team etc.

These diverse cultures can be expressed as: values, beliefs, ideologies, norms, symbols, rituals, myths, stories, language and artefacts (Jones & May, 1992).

Social work is concerned with critiquing culture due the fact that humans discriminate. Since white people have more power in Western society, ‘other’ cultures and social groups are not equally valued. Social workers’ concern for social justice and human rights should inevitably lead to a critique of oppressive practices, such as racism, and discrimination on the basis of belonging to a particular group, that are perpetuated by political agendas and popular culture alike.

The term ‘political correctness’ has been used to belittle adherence to anti-racist or anti-sexist language, or other anti-discriminatory practices. However, since racism is so deeply ingrained in our culture at every level, paying attention to how and what we communicate is a cornerstone of cultural competence. This means ensuring we use inclusive language, show respect for all persons, and avoid racial stereotyping, in our practice as social workers.

Cultural competence also requires a critical understanding of history, and a commitment to social activism. Gilbert (2009) attributes the current status of Aboriginal Australians as: ‘the poorest, most disadvantaged and unhealthiest sector of the population’ (p. 94) to a series of historical events, including genocide, assimilation and the White Australia policy, the Stolen Generation, and the Intervention.  She argues these events have all impacted negatively on the socio-economic, emotional and physical well-being of Aboriginal Australians. In addition, due to their holistic view of health and spirituality, dispossession from their land has had a negative impact on Aboriginal health (Anderson, 1995). Gilbert suggests that supporting self-determination for Aboriginal Australians, including formal recognition of their unique status as the first people of Australia, and a commitment to their human rights, is pivotal in improving their overall well-being.

Australian society has changed dramatically in the past few decades, becoming a diverse multicultural society, due to migration and settlement of refugees. Social workers need to develop their cultural awareness and sensitivity in order to work effectively and respectfully with all clients, regardless of their racial or linguistic diversity. This may involve working in partnership with cultural advisors, interpreters and community leaders to ensure culturally safe practice. There is also a role for social activism here, for example in challenging current racist government policies on deterrence of asylum seekers.

A final aspect of defining cultural sensitivity is derived from the maxim to ‘know thyself’. As Stephanie wrote in her entry, people who identify with the dominant white, Anglo culture do not always identify themselves as ‘having’ a cultural identity, which can lead to a lack of awareness about the advantages that stem from being white. Reading ‘White privilege: unpacking the invisible backpack’ by Peggy McIntosh (1988), was really helpful to me in understanding this.  I grew up in a ‘white’ part of Britain, and then moved to multi-cultural London as a young adult. I grew to love the cultural diversity, and learnt from Afro-Caribbean and Asian colleagues and friends about different non-white perspectives, and how to work in culturally respectful ways. This gave me a useful foundation on which to transfer my prior learning to the new cultural experience of dislocation that migration to Australia brought.

The majority of clients at my placement are Aboriginal; they also have intellectual disabilities. I really like Bennett, Zubrzycki, & Bacon, (2011)’s suggestion that cultural competence in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involves developing skills such as silence, deep listening and stillness, which are not greatly valued in Western society. This means that engagement may be a slow process, requiring patience and humility. One of the ways I have worked with clients is by practising patience. It took one client six weeks before he spoke to me or addressed me by name. Another four weeks later, he let me help him to count on his fingers. A small outcome, but to me, a huge indicator of his developing trust.

I also recently attended a Community Meeting held by Inala Elders as part of their Suicide Prevention Initiative. I was impressed by the inclusive nature of the meeting, which involved consultation with all people present, even young children. One of their projects is planning a healing native garden at QE2 hospital, for use by patients, their families, and hospital staff. One of the elders, when asked what plants she would like to see in the garden, nominated (the definitely non-native), ‘roses’. Somehow, that was an apt metaphor for my presence at ‘their’ meeting. Just blooming awesome!

References

Anderson, P., (1995). ‘Priorities in Aboriginal health’. In Robinson, G., (ed.). Aboriginal health: Social and cultural transitions. Darwin: NTU Press.

Bennett, B., Zubrzycki, J., & Bacon, V., (2011). ‘What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal people’. Australian social work, 64, pp. 20-37.

Gilbert, S., (2009). ‘Aboriginal issues in context’, in Connolly, M., & Harms, L., (eds.) (2^nd ed.). Social work: Contexts and practice. Melbourne: Oxford University.

Jones, A., & May, J., (1992). Working in human service organisations: A critical introduction. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.

McIntosh, P. (1988). ‘White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack’. In Rothenberg, P., (ed.) (2005). White privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism. (2^nd edition). New York: Worth.