Conflict over cultural identity can generate tension in the classroom if there are different views on identity, language, or history. But it can also be an opportunity to learn to live together with respect, empathy, and understanding of diversity. It can be approached as a problem from the outset or as an opportunity. If approached in this way, it will generate interest in learning.
This dynamic of conflict also has consequences for the educational process by affecting inclusion, the sense of belonging, and students’ academic results. Discrimination, stereotypes, and a lack of role models can lead to inequalities and ultimately affect students’ self-esteem. Cultural identity leads us to understand human diversity and value different ways of thinking, feeling, and living. It involves becoming aware of how we relate to others: whether our way of being or relating to others invades or respects them, whether our personal, family, or community history—for example, the history of a congregation—dialogues or conflicts with the historical, social, political, or religious context in which we live.
