Crossing Cultural Boundaries: A Multicultural Kindergarten in Hong Kong

Abstract

Confronted with the rise of a new group within its organization, Small World, an international Christian kindergarten in Hong Kong, is being forced to reconsider its boundaries. The trend towards more applications to international schools by Hong Kong Chinese, adds an extra dimension to the already extensive cultural diversity among the kindergarten's staff, students and their parents. Describing the appreciation for cultural diversity amongst staff and parents, the strategies that are used to maintain harmony and the motives that (Hong Kong Chinese) parents have for participation in the school, it is argued that only one effect of globalization on the macro level can be identified on the micro and meso level, namely indigenization. The article shows how parents, staff and the organization all try to adopt attractive or useful elements of foreign cultures without giving up their own culture, and subsequently foster multiculturalism in an attempt to reach their goals, these being the cultural competence of their children for Hong Kong Chinese parents and success for the organization. The resulting demand for the incorporation of extra foreign elements in the curriculum is forcing Small World to reconsider its boundaries.

Keywords:

• cultural diversity
• multiculturalism
• international school
• Hong Kong

Acknowledgements

The research for this article was originally conducted for the purpose of writing an M.A. thesis with no intention of publishing the results beyond that thesis. Small World Hong Kong agreed to support the thesis project at the time, and was only recently approached for consent to publication of the research findings in the form of this article. Consent was indeed obtained.

Notes

¹ The sum of these parts is more than one, because many children are parented by people from two different countries and thus can be placed in two different categories.