Becoming Bicultural
A collection of articles by adults and youths who have incorporated
the values and traditions of different cultures into
their family’s and their personal identity.
When it comes to learning a second language (or more), children raised in homes where two or more languages are common enjoy an advantage over children raised in monolinguistic households. Videos, books, “Saturday schools,” and at least one parent fluent in the second language provide an ideal environment for second-language acquisition. But acquiring a minority language does not necessarily mean that the child will also absorb, understand, or identify with the minority culture. For foreign couples, or couples in international marriages, raising a child to be bicultural often proves to be far more complicated, though just as important, as the process leading to bilingualism alone.
Of the eight articles in this monograph, six detail the methods that parents have used to help their children understand, appreciate, and identify with the minority culture. Two others are wonderful contributions by young people who have been raised in households aspiring to biculturalism. These articles show the range of challenges that face families that are practicing biculturalism. While many “international” families face circumstances that appear similar on the surface, these articles reveal that the options available to families might be many -- or frustratingly few.
Readers of this monograph will, we hope, feel in these heartfelt stories the frustration and patience, the wisdom and foibles, the successes and failures, and (most importantly) the love of the parents and children whose lives have been shaped through exposure to multiple cultures. We also hope that readers will draw both ideas and inspiration for their own pursuit of biculturalism.
While the articles in this monograph provide a look into the processes our authors took in raising their children biculturally, we acknowledge that these articles do not represent the entirety of the question of what it takes to “become bicultural.” Firstly, there is the matter of “bi” rather than “multi”. We chose the terms bilingualism and biculturalism for the sake of brevity, recognizing that multilingualism and multiculturalism are also common. Secondly, we realize that there are hundreds of cultures and thousands of family circumstances that are quite different from the accounts in this volume. But we expect that our readers, who largely share Japan as a common denominator, will enjoy these articles and draw an idea or two to help them in their continuing commitment towards broadening the minds, hearts, and souls of their loved ones through the gifts of bilingualism and biculturalism.
- Ron Murphy, Editor
