death by culture - Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic

“DEATH BY CULTURE”: ENGAGING
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN CREATING
COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITIES
Sujata Warrier, PhD
Phone: 212-417-5944
e-mail: sujata.warrier@gmail.com
10/23/2013
©Sujata Warrier, 2013
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An Old Berber Song…
So vast the prison crushing me,
Release, where will you come from?
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©Sujata Warrier, 2013
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For a minute…..
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You are facing the Old Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
Walk around its walls until you come to a brass strip set
in the pavement. The smooth, gold band in the ground
marks the Prime Meridian, or Longitude Zero… Stand to
the left- hand side of the brass strip and your are in the
Western hemisphere. But move a yard to the right, and
you enter the East: whoever you are, you have been
translated from a European into an Oriental1.
10/23/2013
Young, R.C. (1995) Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, Culture and Race.
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Routledge:London, p.1©Sujata Warrier, 2013
Why Should We Consider Culture?
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Culture shapes an individual’s experience of the world.
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Culture shapes how someone responds to intervention.
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Culture shapes access to other services that might be
crucial for people.
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The culture of the advocate/professional, the system
and the other person will impact outcome.
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What Is Culture?
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Historically and anthropologically thought to be
a stable pattern of beliefs, values, thoughts,
norms etc.. that are transmitted from generation
to generation for successfully adapting to other
group members and their environment.
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The problem is that this is an outdated
definition.
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Definition Of Culture
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A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or
commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in
relation to changing social and political contexts, based on:
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race
ethnicity
national origin
sexuality
gender
religion
age
class
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©Sujata Warrier, 2013
disability status
immigration status
education
geographic location (space)
rural, urban,
time, or
other axes of identification
within the historical context
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of oppression
Intersectionality
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People live multiple, layered lives derived from social relations,
history and the operation of the structures of power.
Understanding intersectionality exposes all types of
discrimination that occur as a consequence of the
combination.
Something unique is produced at the point of intersection – full
complexity of experiences.
No slotting people, no single form of discrimination – exposes
full range of vulnerabilities as it links all structures of
oppressions.
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Cultural Context
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In all cultures, contexts of privilege and access
are created by certain norms against which all
other sub groups are compared.
In Canada, attributes of the dominant culture
includes English as a primary language,
“whiteness”, Christianity, physically able, male,
economic resources and heterosexuality.
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Cultural Context
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Privileges and access arise from having one or
more of the above attributes of identity.
Privilege includes not having to recognize own
culture as norm, access to resources,
connections and status.
Privileges for one group can create the
dynamics of domination.
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Gender Based Violence
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Gender Based Violence (GBV) occurs on a
continuum - beginning with female foeticide and
ending with women murder and includes female
infanticide, incest, sexual harassment, poverty, and
domestic violence.
VAW can also be understood as occurring on a
tightening spiral or a coil or as a corkscrew.
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Gender Based Violence
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As much as patriarchal domination varies in shape,
form and texture so too does GBV.
Since violence is used to control women in
patriarchal societies, it is important to understand the
nature of patriarchy and its relationship to other
forms of oppression such as racism, colonialism,
heterosexuality etc.
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The Everyday World
Everyday World
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A web of agencies and political entities make
up Institutions of Social Management (ISM’s)
Institutions of Social Management
Colleges
K-12
Education
Universities
Tech.
Institutes
Mental
Health
Child
Protection
Civil
Courts
Family &
Juvenile
Courts
Law
Enforcement
and
Housing
Criminal
Authority
Courts
Medi
TANF
Everyday World
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Regulatory bodies and economic systems shape the functioning
of the ISM’s
Economic System
Regulatory Bodies
Institutions of Social Management
Colleges
K-12
Education
Universities
Tech.
Institutes
Psych.
Professions
Child
Protection
Civil
Courts
Family &
Juvenile
Courts
Law
Enforcement
and
Housing
Criminal
Authority
Courts
Everyday World
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Discourse and Dominant Ideologies
Discourse
•There
is a world of discourse,
comprised of language, theories, concepts…
•That “abstract world” of discourse is applied by
practitioners (within ISM’s) to situations in the
everyday world
•The discourse shapes how practitioners think
about the situations they are handling
•The ideology of the institution is carried through
the discourse into workers’ practices
•Discourse is not produced locally, but extra-locally
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“We don’t see things as they are, we
see them as we are.”
Anias Nin
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Working Assumptions
CULTURALLY COMPETENT ASSUMPTIONS:
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All cultures are contradictory in that there are both widespread acceptance of
oppressive practices as part of society and traditions of resistance.
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Each victim is not only a member of her/his community, but a unique
individual with their own responses. The complexity of a person’s response
is shaped by multiple factors.
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Each individual comes into any encounter with cultural experiences and
perspectives that might differ from those present in the system.
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All institutions have to develop specific policies and procedures to
systematically build cultural competence.
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Dynamics of Difference
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“…encourage us to tolerate and interpret ambivalence,
ambiguity, and multiplicity as well as expose the roots
of our need for imposing order and structure no matter
how arbitrary and oppressive these needs may be. If we
do our work well, reality will appear more unstable,
complex and disorderly than it does now.”
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J.Flax, 1990. Thinking Fragments:Psychoanalysis, Feminism and
Postmodernism in the Contemporary West. Berkeley: University of California
Press. pp.56-7
©Sujata Warrier, 2013
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Fragmentation (Specialization)
Each step and sub-step assigned a specialist
911
Operator
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Officer
Judge
Prosecutor
Defense Atty.
Defense Atty.
Prosecutor
Judge
©Sujata Warrier, 2013
Judge
Prosecutor
Defense Atty.
Probation Officer
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Fragmentation (decontextualizing)
Each event is a separate case
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Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
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Conditions of
Release
No Contact
Order
Arraignment
Hearing
Pre-Trial/
Hearing
Trial
Sentencing
Monitoring/
Probation
Jail
Arrest
Report
Non-Arrest
Report
Arrest
No Arrest
Squads
Investigate
911
Call
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/ ARREST INCIDENT
Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
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©Sujata Warrier, 2013
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Court Oversees and
Sanctions Plan
Child Placement
CD Assessment
Psych/Mental Health
CHIPS COURT
Parenting Education
Visitation
Individual/Family Therapy
DV Classes
CP Case
Mgmt
Service Plan
Initial Intervention
Unit Contacted
Safety Plan
Child Protection
Screening
Risk
Assessment
CP Investigation
EPC Hearing
Emergency
Placement
Safety
Assessment
Child Welfare
Assessment
Child Maltreatment
Assessment
Law Enforcement
Notified
CHILD PROTECTION MAP
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Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
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HOUSING MAP
Landlord/HRA
Notified
Sheriff Evicts
Warning Given
Eviction Hearing
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©Sujata Warrier, 2013
Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
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ORDER FOR PROTECTION – CIVIL COURT PROCESS
Judge Reviews
Advocacy
Program
Files OFP
Seeks
Shelter
Ex Parte
Denied
Ex Parte
Granted
Sheriff Serves
Respondent
OFP
Granted
Civil Court
Hearing
OFP
Denied
OFP Filed
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©Sujata Warrier, 2013
Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
Supervised
Exchange/
Visitation
Reliefs
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Granted
CUSTODY MAP
Files for
Divorce
Family Court
Hearing
Temporary
Custody
Custody
Evaluation
Interviews by
Evaluator
Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
Custody
Hearing
Final Divorce
Hearing
Custody
Awarded
Child Support
Established
Supervised
Exchange/
Visitation
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CD Assessment
Court Oversees and
Sanctions Plan
Conditions of
Release
Psych/Mental Health
CHIPS COURT
CP Case
Mgmt
Visitation
Child Placement
No Contact
Order
Parenting Education
Individual/Family Therapy
Arraignment
Hearing
Pre-Trial/
Hearing
Trial
Monitoring/DV Classes
Probation
Child Protection
Screening
Sentencing
Initial Intervention
Unit Contacted
Jail
Arrest
Report
CP Investigation
Non-Arrest
Report
Arrest
Child Welfare
Assessment
No Arrest
Squads
Investigate
Files for
Divorce
Family Court
Hearing
Temporary
Custody
Custody
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Evaluation
EPC Hearing
Safety Plan
Emergency
Placement
Risk
Assessment
Safety
Assessment
Child Maltreatment
Assessment
Law Enforcement
Notified
Judge Reviews
911
Call
Advocacy
Program
Files OFP
Ex Parte
Denied
Seeks
Shelter
Landlord/HRA
Notified
Interviews by
Evaluator
Service Plan
Warning Given
Ex Parte
Granted
Sheriff Evicts
Sheriff Serves
Respondent
OFP
Granted
Civil Court
Hearing
OFP
Denied
Eviction Hearing
Custody
Hearing
Final Divorce
Hearing
Praxis – Rural Technical Assistance on Violence Against Women
Custody
Awarded
Child
SupportWarrier, 2013
©Sujata
Established
OFP Filed
Supervised
Exchange/
Visitation
Reliefs
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Granted
Engaging with Culture
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Being aware of one’s
biases, prejudices and
knowledge about a victim.
For example,
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Recognizing professional
power and avoiding the
imposition of those values.
For example,
Challenge your assumptions.
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Use non-judgmental questions
Take into consider implicit
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Listen to the person. For example,
bias
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Let them narrate their story.
Use appropriate language.
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Do not assume people have
resources.
Be aware of assumptions of
©Sujata Warrier, 2013
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family.
Engaging with Culture
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Gathering information
about the person’s
interpretation of their
culture. For example in
assessment:
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“what is it like for you
to talk about this
problem in your
©Sujata Warrier, 2013
community?”
Validating the person’s
strengths. For example in
intervention:
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thank them for sharing and
acknowledge existing
support systems and efforts
to keep safe.
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Engaging with Culture:
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Insuring safety and selfdetermination. For example,
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Take into account culturally
specific needs.
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Negotiating the acceptance
of a different set of values.
For example,
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Developing linkages with the
community. For example,
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Give culturally appropriate
referrals.
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Work with community based
agencies.
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Remember, it takes time for
people to accept new
systems and ideas.
Patience is the key.
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“World Travelling1” method of Engaging with
Culture
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Culturally challenging practices require a vision of
independence and connectedness:
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understanding oneself in one’s own historical context with an
emphasis on the overlaps, influences, and conditions one observes in
the other.
Understand one’s historical relationship to the other - see the self as
the other sees you
must see the other in their own context.
Arrogant perception creates distance between oneself and “the
Gunning, Isabella. 1992. “Female Genital Surgeries,” Columbia Human
Other”.
1
Rights Law Review 23(2):189-248.
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Creating Compassionate Communities
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Change is frightening
Understanding is not compassion
Challenge is integral to identity
Reactions to threat against identity
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Creating Compassionate Communities
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Principle of Compassion - justice, equity and
respect
In Both public and private life
Restore compassion at the center of morality
Establish cultures of compassion locally and
globally
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Creating Compassionate Communities
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Shift our consciousness
Challenge truths that guide us
Resiliency is the norm
Be present totally and fully
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Reminder
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“Our struggle is for a fundamental change in social
relationships rather than for a per community quota of
representations in the parliament of “race” and
“ethnicities.” We are engaged in politics, linking theories
with practices, examining ideologies through our lives,
and our lives through revolutionary ideas. We are not
shopping in the market of cultural differences”.
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Bannerji, Himani. 1993. “Returning the Gaze:An Introduction,” in Returning the Gaze.
Toronto: Sister Vision, p.xxix
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Reminder
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“A problem cannot be solved in the
consciousness that created it..”
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Einstein
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Open…….
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In conclusion……
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“It seems utopian, but the world must recover
its capacity for dreaming and in order to start, a
new paradigm is required…..”
Cecilia Lopez
10/23/2013
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