In her TEDx talk, “You are Doing It Wrong: The Evolution of Cultural Competence,” Raquel Martin talks about how cultural competency was used back in the day and how it applies to our heterogeneous world today. Martin explains the complexities embedded in cultural comprehension and calls for an advanced approach to cross-cultural communication (Martin, 2023). A more nuanced, context and culture-specific comprehension of cultural competency is required (Martinez, 2023). Culture is the main field of responsibility in her idea. She teaches us to be humble and to value tolerance, exploration, and curiosity in listening to others and comprehending their stories. All these effectively contribute to developing students’ critical thinking skills and facilitating the right environment for open dialogue across cultures. This essay aims to study Martin’s views on cultural competency while analyzing their relatedness to the course goals and topic of study in culture and ethnic studies.
Martin starts the talk by tracing cultural competency’s development back to its roots in psychology and anthropology. Early frameworks often focused on classifying civilizations and reinforced essential and harmful assumptions about other groups (Martin, 2023). This coincides very well with our class discussions regarding the dangers of essentialism and the development of cultural identity in general. The speaker argues that traditional theories of cultural competency, especially those that prioritize superficial knowledge and symbolic gestures, must be revised in today’s globalized society. There should be a more dynamic and context-specific approach that recognizes the fluidity and diversity of culture (Martin, 2023).
Martin cites that cultural humility is one framework for obtaining authentic cultural competence. Introspection and being receptive to other people’s points of view are critical to cultural competence. What Martin talks about is similar to our class discussions on critically identifying one’s biases when engaging in cross-cultural interactions. Humble people can engage in insightful cross-cultural dialogues and build genuine relationships (Osborn & Karandikar, 2023). The talk focuses on attentive listening and empathy, which were part of our course objectives. The speaker stresses that it is essential to encourage openness and humility instead of leaning towards complicated ideas of cultural competency (Martin, 2023). As emphasized by the speaker, active listening and empathy promote understanding and empathy in cross-cultural interactions. Humility is vital to achieving cultural competence.
Martin stresses the advantages of recognizing cultural humility in different settings, including education, medical treatment and business. Incorporating different viewpoints and methods into organizational structures has several advantages and results in more prosperous and inclusive outcomes (Osborn & Karandikar, 2023). This aligns with what we studied in our course about responsive cultural practices in the office and the workplace. By emphasizing cultural awareness and humility, individuals and organizations can decrease the probability of marginalization. Martin challenges people and different cultures to rethink cultural competency and work toward more equitable relationships among different cultures.
Conclusion
This TEDx discussion by Martin on the development of cultural competency is essential for understanding solid relationships between different cultures. Culture is the main field of responsibility in her idea, which she teaches us to be humble and to value tolerance, exploration, and curiosity in listening to others and comprehending their stories. All these effectively contribute to developing students’ critical thinking skills and facilitating the right environment for open dialogue across cultures. The speaker argues that there should be a more dynamic and context-specific approach that recognizes the fluidity and diversity of culture.
References
Martin, R. (2023, February 16). You are Doing It Wrong: The evolution of cultural competence | Raquel Martin | TEDxRutgersCamden. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCu1ED0Zsk
Osborn, P. R., & Karandikar, S. (2023). Practice-based knowledge perspectives of cultural competence in social work. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 32(6), 285-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2046228
write