(7TESL010W) Intercultural Communicative Competence

MA International Liaison and Communication
MA TESOL
7TESL010W INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
7TRSL058W INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICAITON
ASSESSMENT 2

RACISM:
Jada is a black women living in America. She is a brilliant student and she is very passionate about
pursuing medicine. For this, she has to take the class of biology which is taught by Mr. James, who is
an white person. As soon as Jada joins the class she notices that her teacher criticize her more than
her other white classmates.Moreover, he does not respond to her queries with same dedication as
her other classmates.He also usually dismisses her questions. He is not welcomed to class
participation. No one in her class likes to interact with her. As a result of all this, she starts to feel
isolated. She loses her self-confidence and self worth. She thinks that his teacher is prejudiced against
her because of her skin colour or race. She thinks about changing school but she is worried that
changing schools might affect her future and dream of becoming a doctor. After much consideration,
she finally takes the matter to the principal. Lucky for her, the principal took notice of the situation
and counseled Mr.James about the importance of giving providing equal treatment to all of the
students. School management also arranged seminars for raising awareness about this discrimination.
Jada’s courage in this situation helped her by making things comfortable for her.
What is Racism:
The problem observed in the above scenario is that of Racism. Racism.Racism is the practise of giving
people of different races unequal chances and outcomes based on practices, laws, attitudes, and
behaviors. Racism is not characterized solely by words or acts. It happens when the ability to oppress,
limit, or obstruct the liberty of others coexists with this bias, whether institutional or personal.
(Australian Human Rights Commission, 2022) There is a causal relationship between inherited physical
traits and attributes of character, intelligence, ethics, and other behavioral and cultural
characteristics. Humans may be split into distinct exclusive and biological entities known as "races";
certain races are fundamentally superior to others. Differences in financial status, schooling, medical
services, human liberties, and other areas are further reinforced by racial discrimination, which can be
practised or perpetuated by social, financial, or judicial institutions and systems.(Jeffery Scott Mio and
Awakuni, 2013)
Cross-cultural aspects of Racism:
Cross-cultural aspects of racism can be defined as the means and forms in which the racism is
displayed and encountered in various societies, countries and cultures. Racism can be found and take
different form in different cultures. These forms apparently depends upon the political, cultural, and
historical backgrounds.
 The most common form of racism is colorism. As apparent from the term, colorism means
discrimination based upon the skin tone. In many countries fair colored people are preferred
over the dark ones. Apart from the larger scale, in many countries colorism is found in tiniest
aspects of life. For example, in some countries fair colored girls are preferred for marriage by the
families of the boys. This is prevalent in countries like Latin America, Southeast asia,etc. This can
lead to the development of unreal and fake beauty standards in the society. It can cause

complex in the persons with the dark skin tones. This complex can be exploited by various
businesses for material gains and hence making the society shallowest to its core.
 Another manifestation of Racism is Ethnonationalism It.a style of nationalism that places a
strong focus on an ethnocentric (and occasionally an ethnocratic) attitude to a variety of political
concerns relating to the national assertion of a certain ethnic group. This promotes the idea that
individuals belonging to certain ethnic backgrounds are better or superior to others. People not
belonging to them are treated differently and are frowned upon them.(Jeffery Scott Mio and
Awakuni, 2013) They may be even be a victim to severe violence by extremists.Rwanda genocide
of 1994 is the perfect example of such conflicts. They maybe deprived of the educational and
other opportunities if they belong to an ethnic minority.
 Prejudice and stereotyping based on the cultural or religious backgrounds is also a form of
racism. This discrimination is basically a result of hearsay negative beliefs about people
belonging to certain group. They are usually generalized just because of a negative experience
with a representative individual.(Bekerman, 2020)
 Another form of racism is Xenophobia. Xenophobia can be defined as hatred and fear of the
people belonging to different countries. There can be many factors behind the development of
such negative feelings. The result of Xenophobia is the marginalization and isolation of the
refugees and immigrants. There has been a rise of Xenophobia in United States and Europe in
the recent years. This is exploited by the political parties for their own gains. (Jeffery Scott Mio
and Awakuni, 2013)
 Historical Background of countries also play a profound role in the development of different
racist behaviour. After the World War 1 The Nazi Party took control over Germany. They
successfully used the hatred against Jews for the mass murder of Jews. By exploiting this idea
they mass murdered the Jews as an attempt to eradicate the race.(Lipstadt, 2019)
Racism evolves and shifts over time, influencing different societies in different ways and escalating
against different ethnicity at various points in history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a
spike in discrimination against Asian and Asian-Australian individuals. Racism encompasses any laws,
norms, philosophies, and other constraints that restrict people from experiencing fairness, decency,
and equality because of their race. Harassment, aggression, verbal or physical abuse, or intimidation
may be used. Yet, racism is common in organizations and systems that act unfairly and unequally..
(Smith) Racism has historically been the belief that people of low level races should be kept to low
status employment or slavery and be denied access to political influence, wealth, and unlimited civil
rights. Racial prejudice could lead to physical violence, isolation, and in some areas, the belief that it is
not natural for individuals with distinct races to get in the bond of marriage.(Bekerman, 2020)
Combating Racism:
Racism breeds distrust and resentment, making it impossible to understand its victims. The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, established by the United Nations in 1948, is one example of a