Jonathan Chia

Kimberly Heuschkel

Individual and Cultural Diversity

December 11, 2008

Cultural Compassing: Tracking Identity

The first explorers of the world navigated through unknown waters and unfamiliar

lands with tools ranging from sextants to astrolabes and eventually the compass. The

compass was the greatest breakthrough in its day in determining one's position. It

provided a defined reference for any traveler by means of four points: north, south, east,

and west. However, imagine the explorers' confusion if the position of north, south, east,

and west were ambiguous and transient. With a needle that always shifted from time to

time the explorers would be at the mercy of the indeterminate poles. This idea of

perpetual compassing, never knowing one's true position mirrors the endless struggle of

cultures today in finding their way and place within our society. Where do white, black,

or LGBT persons find themselves in fighting through the ever changing currents of our

social sea? Some might argue that certain cultures have already found their way and

defined the "correct cultural compass" for all other cultures to follow. This line of

thinking, however convenient, is ultimately doomed to fail and incite further hegemony

between the supposed "ideal" and "non-ideal" cultures. It is essential to question and

examine how cultural compassing affects every culture’s internal identity and conversely,

external identity, to better understand and eliminate the negative effects of such a

widespread but largely unconscious practice.

 To address the issue of cultural compassing, it is necessary to characterize such a

complex process within society. Succinctly, cultural compassing is the struggle of any

person or persons to find and establish an identity within a society as a cultural outsider.

It is important to emphasize the idea that each person and group is considered as a

cultural other to any other person or group and not as a unified society. Social

compassing exists because we are in a diverse society, the claim of a united people

“assumes that no ‘us versus them’ mentality currently exists and that there already is

unity among all people in our country—both clearly erroneous assumptions” (Nieto &

Bode, 2008, 24). Is it also vital to mention, that in no way is cultural compassing some

type of role-play of one culture to blend in with another group. Role-play implies that the

participant knows their true identity and is simply acting out what is understood as a false

role. Any individuals practicing cultural compassing has no backhand knowledge of their

true identity; instead compassing is the struggle to find that very identity that role-play

assumes you have to begin with. This search for identity via compassing results in a

fractured identity: one within the individual as their own personal and internal identity

and a second identity that the surrounding society places upon that person. The constant

struggle between these two identities is what generates the social ambiguity that damages

so many groups and individuals. It is the question of, “Who am I?” versus “Who does

society want me to be?” Much of the intercultural conflict easily seen throughout today’s

society can be attributed to this quiet and self-questioning process of negative cultural

compassing.

Quite possibly the most obvious example of active social compassing is the

“model minority” tag placed upon Asian Americans. The model minority tag, while
supposedly good intentioned, denies any cultural identity to the group marginalized by

this image.

“While superficially complimentary to Asian Americans, the real purpose and

effect of this portrayal is to celebrate the status quo in race relations. First, by

over-emphasizing Asian American success, it de-emphasizes the problems Asian

Americans continue to face from racial discrimination in all areas of public and

private life. Second, by misrepresenting Asian American success as proof that

America provides equal opportunities for those who conform and work hard, it

excuses American society from careful scrutiny on issues of race in general, and

on the persistence of racism against Asian Americans in particular.” (Chen, A

Guide to Asian American Empowerment, par. 2)

By removing the ability of Asian Americans to address their problems in a constructive

light with proper recognition and resolution, negative cultural compassing takes place.

Do Asian Americans adhere to the model minority impressed upon them by society? Or

do they go against what society says is acceptable and pursue social justice and equality?

If they conform to the model minority image, they lose their own identity but gain

acceptance. If they decide to forge their own identity which is disparate from the model

minority given by society, they gain their identity but lose social acceptance. This

nebulous classification of Asian Americans states that while they are better than other

minorities (the model) they are still less than the dominant culture (minority). During the

boycotting of Korean markets, such as the Family Red Apple Market in 1990, the

culturally compassed identity of Koreans and all other Asian Americans became an

unwilling hub in the fight for social justice between blacks and whites. “Whites
identified with the Asian American merchant as a target of black fury and accusations of

racism… To many African Americans, the Korean stores represented the economic

disenfranchisement at the hands of the white oppressors and their Asian surrogates” (Zia,

2000, 97). Here compassing takes place between the polarized sides of the stereotypical

white and black cultures where Asian Americans are struggling to define their own

identity. Move towards any side and Asian Americans gain recognition from one culture

and alienate the other. What is even more difficult in this situation is that the Asian

American community is actually not a singular unified entity but a very granular and

diverse group (Nieto & Bode, 2008, 39). Each specific culture trying to find their own

identity broadens the social identity of Asian Americans as a whole and encourages

stereotyping and blurring of cultures. This in turn causes intracultural bonds to break

down when they are marginalized under such an inaccurate classification. This cut-throat

cultural compassing, where one culture desperately defines their identity by

marginalizing another, was seen intensely during World War II when non-Japanese Asian

Americans wore buttons saying “I Hate Japs Worse Than You Do” or “I’m No Jap” (Zia,

2000, 40). By becoming opportunistic predators, cultures destructively fight for their

own identity in a hegemonic structured society (hegemonic cultural compassing) which

only furthers tensions between all groups. Hegemonic cultural compassing is not only

experienced by Asian Americans but all other cultures and races such as African

Americans:

“He [Latrell] equated having the ‘N-word in my blood’ with struggling to

conform to classroom expectations, apparently having absorbed the message that

staying seated and overcoming restlessness are racial traits. It is evident that
 Latrell’s perspective of his racial identity and cultural group had become skewed

by experiences of racism, marginalization, and violence” (Nieto & Bode, 2008,

314).

This shows that no particular culture is immune to this disintegration of identity. The

need to affirm one’s identity with the need to be accepted in society runs contrary in a

hegemonic hierarchy of cultures. Now that social compassing has been defined and

shown to have many negative effects on society as a whole, one question remains: what

can be done to stop social compassing?

Revisiting the earlier definition of social compassing, the inevitable realization is

that cultural compassing will always exist as long as there are diverse groups. It is

human nature to compare and group objects together and assign them general

characteristics. This process is unavoidable and therefore compassing is too. However,

there can be a transformation from destructive hegemonic compassing to constructive and

positive cultural compassing which affirms identity rather than erodes. All the previous

examples of cultural compassing could be illustrated as such:

 Accepted
White

“Earn-it” “Privileged”
Asian American

Black/Colored

Marginalized

Figure 1: Destructive cultural compassing (hegemonic structure)

It is under this model, that the dominant cultures (white) unconsciously set what is

“acceptable” in society and which cultures obtain “privileges” (Ayvazian, 2008).

Cultural compassing with these poles results in a constant power-play between the

dominant culture and all other cultures fighting for such dominance. It is through the

control of the axis does the dominant culture impress and impose the identity that they

want upon other cultures (black/colored and Asian American) that struggle for their own

identity. Stopping the intercultural fight for power allows a constructive playing field to

develop. This type of compassing requires the individual or group to have a firm grip

upon their own identity and to also have respect for all other cultures.

“There are several ways in which Nadia was negotiating these dilemmas of

diversity. For one, as we saw, diversity is not an empty concept to Nadia. Her

best friend was Jewish, and she also had an African American friend who was

teaching her to cook soul food. In addition, even at this young age, Nadia was

becoming outspoken about justice and fair play. This was evident in her
 participation in Heart Connection at school. She had also agreed to teach Arabic

to young Muslim children. Her willingness, even eagerness, to speak publicly at a

rally condemning bigotry against Muslims was another indication of her

commitment to social justice” (Nieto & Bode, 2008, 350)

In this example, Nadia exhibits all the characteristics necessary to propagate positive

cultural compassing. Foremost, Nadia has a very strong self-identity—she knows exactly

who she is and because of this, she feels proactive in integrating not only herself but also

her culture within the surrounding community. Nadia also portrays a great respect and

understanding of surrounding cultures which allows her to move in and out of situations

where she is a cultural outsider to constructively view and criticize new experiences. She

realizes that education can push change in her community by becoming involved and

therefore sheds the “powerless” archetype felt by many other cultures which are

negatively compassed (Ladson-Billings, 1994, 73). In contrast, the poles of constructive

cultural compassing might look like this:

 Constructive Criticism

Segregated Integrated

Destructive Criticism

Figure 2: Constructive social compassing

Gone are the places where specific races or cultures fight for social dominance in a

structure based on hegemony. In constructive social compassing all cultures are free to

develop their own identity unbound from the social pressure to conform to an outside

mold. Once their identities are established, groups and individuals begin to align

themselves within society as a defined cultural group without needing to conform to gain

privileges. While cultural compassing might be inevitable in a diverse society, it is of

critical importance in the realization of social justice that we engender this latter positive

compassing and not the former.

Transforming our largely negatively compassing society into the positive and

constructive society that Nadia exemplifies is not an option to take at our leisure. With

different cultures gaining more exposure to each other in today’s society it is an essential

and necessary step to make this metamorphosis to prevent the degradation of intercultural

relations. Considering the damage already done, proactive teaching in young students is
the only way to mitigate the negative effects of hegemonic cultural compassing in future

generations. Through this method, teachers must strive to structure their lessons around

three salient points which influence the student directly: self identity, cultural respect,

and individual power. First, with the confirmation of a student’s identity, they are able to

cast aside the superfluous and marginalizing identity placed upon them by society. In

essence, they become confident of their own identity and cannot be affected by outside

sources. Secondly, the need for cultural respect almost goes without mention. Without

tolerance and acceptance of other cultures there will never be constructive forming of

identities upon which positive cultural compassing is dependent on. Finally, students

need to feel powerful and influential as this is required to move the community in the

right direction. Deficient of a sense of belief that they are powerful enough to make

change within society, even a student with an excess of the first two traits will be doomed

to meld with the status quo. Teachers need to acknowledge the monumental effect of

cultural compassing on students and take action to prepare those students to react

beneficially. Undertaking the role as a guide, through both lesson and example, teachers

must build upon these three points to help them become strong, fair leaders within their

cultures and eventually within society. Without appropriate action, successive

generations are destined to be lost in a hostile cultural landscape devoid of hope, identity,

and direction.
 Works Cited

Zia, H. (2000). Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. New
York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming Diversity New York, NY: Pearson.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African

American Children. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Chen, A. (1999). A Guide to Asian American Empowerment. (Introdution, par. 2).

Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://www.modelminority.com.

Ayvazian, A. (2008). What I’ve Learned About Undoing Racism. Lee, E. & Menkart,
D (Eds.), Beyond Heroes and Holidays (118-119). Washington, DC: Teaching
For Change.