Published on August 2, 2024
In my blogpost at the end of last term, I wrote about Controversy With Civility and ended with a reflection on the nature of political discourse in Australia and therefore the importance of cultivating, within ourselves and our students, the competencies necessary to engage with controversial ideas with civility. Issues that are controversial are ultimately ones that engage us on an emotional as well as a cognitive level. This is why intentionally teaching students the skills and competencies linked to civility is crucial so they can engage with big, controversial ideas in a way that draws on their “thinking brain” rather than their “emotional brain”.
Since that blogpost, Dr Eeqbal Hassim has visited HVGS to continue his work with staff on the Intercultural Development Continuum and how we can leverage it in practice to build cohesive, high functioning teams and groups of students.
Before Dr Hassim spoke to all staff, I shared some reasons as to why I think this work is so important. The first data I drew on was a recent Guardian Australia Poll, the results of which were summarised by the Guardian Australia Editor:
“The fact that 30% of Australians say they are “dissatisfied” with democracy in the latest Guardian Essential poll is alarming. … 75% of respondents thought politicians stood for office primarily to serve their own interests, not the public good.
Our political discourse has also, at times, slipped the guardrails of facts and truthfulness. It’s also polarised and angry.”
Democracy is an essential part of Australian society. It is something for which Australia is highly regarded: we have an egalitarian society underpinned by democratic principles. Debate and activism are welcomed, and we have a tradition of voting for political parties (rather than individuals) who keep our National and State Leaders honest regardless of whether our chosen party is in power.
However, a deep dissatisfaction with democracy and the actions of our politicians in indeed alarming. Part of the problem, I would argue, is that too much of what we hear in public spaces (including social media) is not governed by the principles of controversy with civility and that this ultimately can erode social cohesion.
Alongside this data point I shared data from the 2023 Mapping Social Cohesion Report. Every year the Scanlon Institute publishes data related to Social Cohesion in Australia and of the people surveyed in 2023, there was some interesting statstics regarding the experience of discrimination in Australia:
In 2023, 18 percent of Australians said they had been discriminated against in the last 12 months based on their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion. This rises to 28 percent for people born overseas and 39 percent for people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Compared with migrants from European backgrounds, those from Asian, African and south-central American backgrounds were all significantly more likely to experience discrimination in 2022-23. (p. 82)
In addition, the report states that:
In 2023, 13 percent of overseas born Australians think that racism is a very big problem and 59 percent believe it is either a very big or fairly big problem. … these proportions are equally high among the Australian born population, with 15 percent saying it is a very big problem and 62 percent saying it is at least a fairly big problem. (p. 82)
The 2023 Mapping Social Cohesion report talked about the importance of community, and that strong neighbourhood communities built social cohesion. However, the report also noted a decrease in national pride and in confidence and trust in politicians. The report correlated data to draw connections between economic challenges and uncertainty and the increasing sense of dissatisfaction with politicians/political parties and a decrease in national pride: “Many of the challenges we face are connected by economic pressures and the social relations and respect we have for each other and our differences.” (p.97). The report, though, is ultimately hopeful and highlights the importance of actively working towards social cohesion and respect in all our communities because this will “help us to maintain and strengthen our multicultural harmony and help us to manage difficult debates and points of difference.” (p.97)
How does this relate to intercultural learning and the intercultural development continuum? As Peter Lewis in a recent Guardian Column wrote: “When we start at the point of conflict, we fail to see the humanity in one another; we cast moral judgement on those with different views; we seek not just to win debates but to humiliate our opponents. And they do the same to us.”
The intercultural development continuum, and the associated inventory, is a tool through which we can reflect on our own attitudes and behaviours and then identify ways in which we can actively work to bridge difference. This is the opposite of starting from a place of conflict and judgement. The goal of the continuum is not to remove difference, but instead embrace and respect differences. While it uses different language, at the heart of how to move up the continuum is the competencies linked to “controversy with civility”. If we can work a bit harder to actively listen to each other, to acknowledge and seek to repair the harm caused by our actions and words, demonstrate humility in all that we do, and acknowledge our collective responsibility to build social cohesion, then we are helping to create the world we want for our children.
We are currently into our third year of training staff in cognitive coaching. This is another tool that helps people learn to mediate others’ thinking through active listening and intentional conversation design. Again, it is all about being able to put aside our own intentions and what we believe is right, to sit with others and to listen and give space to perspectives that are different to our own.
Our work with Dr Eeqbal Hassim is about preparing our children for their world, not our past. According to Dr Hassim, our aspiration should be to “shift from co-existence and knowing about distinct cultures to understanding what happens and what to do when cultural backgrounds, experiences and perspectives intersect.” This is crucial because:
When differences intersect we can have a range of outcomes, from destructive to constructive. This is our global reality. Learners need to be able to navigate these outcomes. Learners need to be able to contribute towards constructive outcomes, whilst minimizing destructive outcomes. (Hassim, 2022, presentation to HVGS staff)
The increasing dissatisfaction with political leaders in Australia, and the move away from civil discourse in social media and political debate, are destructive outcomes of the intersection of difference. A more constructive outcome is building the competencies of our children (and ourselves) to be able to engage civilly with controversial ideas, and both deeply comprehend and bridge across differences.
This is also at the heart of the HVGS ethos and of an IB education. It is a path we are committed to walking with our parents, our students and our staff.
