Activity

To gain a better understanding of your own culture and the frame of reference through which you see the world, try answering some of the below questions (DiAngelo, 2012).

Class

• How did your class (i.e. working-, middle-, or upper-class) shape your expectations for the future?

• What resources could you access?

• How do you view those in different class groups and is this different to how you view yourself?

Location

• How did/does the region, neighbourhood, or country in which you live influence how you see the world?

• How diverse was the neighbourhood you grew up in?

• What language(s) did you speak? Did this change how others perceived you?

• Have you ever moved neighbourhoods or countries? What did this experience show you about how cultures differ?

Religion

• Were you raised with a certain religious affiliation? How did it shape you?

• Do you still subscribe to a religious group? How does this shape you now?

• Is your religion the dominant religion in the area/community in which you live? Does this afford you any privileges or have any drawbacks? 

Race

• Did you grow up with a sense of belonging to a racial group? How did it shape your sense of place in the world? Did people behave differently towards you as a result? 

• If you did not have a sense of belonging to a racial group, how did that shape your identity? If you did not belong to a racial group, then who did and how did you learn this?

Gender

• What roles and expectations did others have for you based on your assigned gender?

• How does your gender identity shape your daily experience and routine?

Sexuality

• How do you define yourself?

• How does your sexuality shape how you see the world (i.e., your expectations of life, partners, family)?

• How does your sexuality impact on how others see you?  

• What rights/privileges do or don’t you have access to?

Family

• How did your family shape you? Consider: birth order, your definition of family, your family make-up and how this may have changed over time, etc.

Physical Body

• How does your body influence your orientation to the world?

• Do others treat you differently because of your body?

• How does the concept of normalcy impact your identity in relation to your body (i.e., skin colour, ability/disability, size, attractiveness)? 

Experiences