How Does a Country’s History Affect Its People’s Sense of Identity and Sense of Community?
reflection on my TCG field experience research question
Why This Question:
I’ve seen the impact that exploring your sense of identity has on individuals and on communities. For their Cultural History Project my sixth graders explore their family cultures, and their own talents and interests and experiences. Students then share their discoveries with our school community which has contributed to a more inclusive, stronger school culture. Because of this I knew I wanted the concepts of identity and community to be part of my research question. With the tragic and controversial deaths of black individuals in recent years our nation has had to look at our history and begin to understand the impact this history has had on communities. Because of this, I wanted to incorporate the connection between history and community into my research question. You hear people say that many of our issues in America aren’t comparable to those in other countries because we are uniquely multi-cultural. But are we really that unique?
I’ve seen the impact that exploring your sense of identity has on individuals and on communities. For their Cultural History Project my sixth graders explore their family cultures, and their own talents and interests and experiences. Students then share their discoveries with our school community which has contributed to a more inclusive, stronger school culture. Because of this I knew I wanted the concepts of identity and community to be part of my research question. With the tragic and controversial deaths of black individuals in recent years our nation has had to look at our history and begin to understand the impact this history has had on communities. Because of this, I wanted to incorporate the connection between history and community into my research question. You hear people say that many of our issues in America aren’t comparable to those in other countries because we are uniquely multi-cultural. But are we really that unique?
My Pre Field Experience Assumption:
I taught English in Japan for three years and came to conclusions about dichotomies between the two cultures. America values individualism, freedom and determination while Japan values, the collective, tradition and moderation. America has had a multi-cultural, diverse history while Japan’s has been almost exceptionally mono-cultural and unbroken.
When I found out that my TGC field experience country would be in Morocco I was humbled by the realization that I knew very little about this country, other than I was pretty sure that it’s in Africa. As I learned of Morocco’s multilingualism, I imagined a multi-cultural society like that of America’s. I wondered how the history of Morocco affected their sense of identity and community. I assumed that Morocco, like America, would have an increased sense of individuality and less of a sense of national community. I came up with supporting questions to guide my inquiry.
I taught English in Japan for three years and came to conclusions about dichotomies between the two cultures. America values individualism, freedom and determination while Japan values, the collective, tradition and moderation. America has had a multi-cultural, diverse history while Japan’s has been almost exceptionally mono-cultural and unbroken.
When I found out that my TGC field experience country would be in Morocco I was humbled by the realization that I knew very little about this country, other than I was pretty sure that it’s in Africa. As I learned of Morocco’s multilingualism, I imagined a multi-cultural society like that of America’s. I wondered how the history of Morocco affected their sense of identity and community. I assumed that Morocco, like America, would have an increased sense of individuality and less of a sense of national community. I came up with supporting questions to guide my inquiry.
My Observations:
With the exception of a weekend trip to Marrakech, I stayed in the capital of Rabat, and its neighboring city of Sale, where my host teacher’s school is. My host teacher, Houria, was wonderful with a generous spirit, a sharp mind and an easy-going nature. My host teacher looked out for me every step of the way, and thus, my perception on the Moroccan culture might be a little rose-colored. But, it’s the only perception that is my own. Below are the supporting questions for my research and what I discovered.
Q: What communities- ethnic, gender, culture – are there?
GENDER- In school boys and girls sat and talked and worked on projects together. When women great, they embrace and kiss each other on both cheeks – an endearing practice that made me feel welcome. When men and women greet they don’t embrace. Like in American, when being introduced for the first time, men and women shake hands. The Hammam, or public bath, is the only gender exclusive experience I had. Sitting in a tiled steam room with 40 other women wearing only your undies and having your skin cleansed and scrubbed smooth is quite the female bonding experience. There are male-only hammams for men as well.
With the exception of a weekend trip to Marrakech, I stayed in the capital of Rabat, and its neighboring city of Sale, where my host teacher’s school is. My host teacher, Houria, was wonderful with a generous spirit, a sharp mind and an easy-going nature. My host teacher looked out for me every step of the way, and thus, my perception on the Moroccan culture might be a little rose-colored. But, it’s the only perception that is my own. Below are the supporting questions for my research and what I discovered.
Q: What communities- ethnic, gender, culture – are there?
GENDER- In school boys and girls sat and talked and worked on projects together. When women great, they embrace and kiss each other on both cheeks – an endearing practice that made me feel welcome. When men and women greet they don’t embrace. Like in American, when being introduced for the first time, men and women shake hands. The Hammam, or public bath, is the only gender exclusive experience I had. Sitting in a tiled steam room with 40 other women wearing only your undies and having your skin cleansed and scrubbed smooth is quite the female bonding experience. There are male-only hammams for men as well.
ETHNICITY – There are fair skinned Moroccans with green eyes, and dark skinned Moroccans with curly hair. In the schools I didn’t observe any cliques based on ethnicity. Actually I didn’t see any cliques at all. But that may be because Moroccan students only have class at school – they don’t eat lunch there or participate in sports or clubs. One day while we were walking through Rabat a dark skinned man walked along side of us and growled at Houria. When she asked him in Arabic, “Are you trying to scare me?” he was taken aback, having assumed she was a French tourist. They then had a friendly conversation, without any concern of gender or ethnicity.
CULTURE – The indigenous Amazigh (Berber) culture is becoming more respected as the alphabet has begun to be taught in elementary schools. Each schools name in now written in Amazigh as well as French and Arabic. Houria speaks Amazigh with her family but regrets that she can’t read and write it. Other indigenous cultures seem to surface only as a quaint link to the past. In Marrakech we went to a dinner theater show called Chez Ali that showcased the regional wedding traditions. We were serenaded with traditional regional music by performers dressed in the various regional styles. Popular music is sung in Arabic with a smattering of French from artists all over the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. I was thrilled to hear the voice of Cuban-American rapper Pitbull in some of the songs on the radio. He’s collaborated with Algerian singer Cheb Khaled. At Houria’s house we were watching a talk show on TV and guests were mostly speaking Arabic, with some French sprinkled in. But some of the commercials were in French while some were in Arabic.
Q: What holidays, publications, and activities give a sense of community?
Like the TV commercials there seemed to be an equal amount of French magazines and Arabic magazines. I noted that the female models in advertisements did not cover their heads. Females are not required to cover, but it seemed to be a fashion choice, especially among the girls. Sometimes they cover, sometimes they don’t. International Women’s Day was celebrated in the schools with research presentations about the contributions of women and highlighting Olympic gold medal runner Nawal El Moutawakel. Women’s day was also honored with TV programs and live celebrations in the train stations.
Like the TV commercials there seemed to be an equal amount of French magazines and Arabic magazines. I noted that the female models in advertisements did not cover their heads. Females are not required to cover, but it seemed to be a fashion choice, especially among the girls. Sometimes they cover, sometimes they don’t. International Women’s Day was celebrated in the schools with research presentations about the contributions of women and highlighting Olympic gold medal runner Nawal El Moutawakel. Women’s day was also honored with TV programs and live celebrations in the train stations.
Q: How does the history of Morocco affect the communities? I was curious about the history of the Barbary Coast pirates who made Sale one of their ports but I was unable to discover anything about them. Through TGC cohort lessons and a visit to the national museum I learned about the Berber dynasties, the Sharifan dynasties and European influence through French and Spanish protectorate status. |
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My Post Field Experience Conclusions:
My assumption that Moroccans, like Americans, would have increased sense of individuality and less of a sense of national community were completely wrong. We Americans tend to see ourselves as part of lots of sub-cultures based on occupation, ethnicity, gender-identity, religion, state or region, political beliefs and hobbies. This isn’t the case for Moroccans.
I think first and foremost Moroccans see themselves as Muslim. While walking through, Rabat Houria and I passed a very large Christian church. Houria told me it was for the foreigners who lived there. The calls for prayer rung out through the streets five times a day and at noon we saw many men dressed in their djellabas on their way to Mosque. When a group of students were successful in teaching me a few greetings in Arabic, the next phrase in Arabic they had me repeat was the creed, “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Islam is essential to the Moroccan identity and community.
My assumption that Moroccans, like Americans, would have increased sense of individuality and less of a sense of national community were completely wrong. We Americans tend to see ourselves as part of lots of sub-cultures based on occupation, ethnicity, gender-identity, religion, state or region, political beliefs and hobbies. This isn’t the case for Moroccans.
I think first and foremost Moroccans see themselves as Muslim. While walking through, Rabat Houria and I passed a very large Christian church. Houria told me it was for the foreigners who lived there. The calls for prayer rung out through the streets five times a day and at noon we saw many men dressed in their djellabas on their way to Mosque. When a group of students were successful in teaching me a few greetings in Arabic, the next phrase in Arabic they had me repeat was the creed, “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Islam is essential to the Moroccan identity and community.
Secondly I think Moroccans see themselves as subjects of the king. Pictures of King Mohammed VI and of he and his family adorn the walls of schools, shops, restaurants and homes. A trinity is burned into a hillside in the port city of Agadir. The top word is God, the word on the left is King and the word on the right is People. It’s a fitting symbol to Moroccan identity and community.
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What I Learned from My Research Question:
I think my research question; “How Does a Country’s History Affect its people’s sense of identity and sense of community?” is useful in that fact that it reveals the American mindset. History is important to Americans; we base many of our beliefs on our understanding of past events. We see ourselves as uniquely multi-cultural and put a lot of energy into defining who we are as groups. Moroccans, on the other hand, don’t seem to use groups to define themselves as much. Even their support for their professional soccer teams isn’t as heated as American sports rivalries tend to be. Morocco’s rich and varied culture seems to be united by their faith and their loyalty to the king. I see value in both the American way and in the Moroccan way of embracing identity and celebrating community.
I think my research question; “How Does a Country’s History Affect its people’s sense of identity and sense of community?” is useful in that fact that it reveals the American mindset. History is important to Americans; we base many of our beliefs on our understanding of past events. We see ourselves as uniquely multi-cultural and put a lot of energy into defining who we are as groups. Moroccans, on the other hand, don’t seem to use groups to define themselves as much. Even their support for their professional soccer teams isn’t as heated as American sports rivalries tend to be. Morocco’s rich and varied culture seems to be united by their faith and their loyalty to the king. I see value in both the American way and in the Moroccan way of embracing identity and celebrating community.
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