MULTICULTURALISM AND MALAYSIAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Abstract

The definition of multiculturalism often invites controversies regarding self-represen- tation, including in the representation of other cultures. Gayatri C. Spivak, in an interview about the definition of multiculturalism, asserts the importance of problematising the notions of tokenism and representation, because “[tokenism] forces us all into positions in which we are distanced both from dominant ideology and from our own cultural heritage.” Issues relating to multiculturalism are seen as important aspects in the construc- tion of national identity. Thus, we read children’s literature as one of the cultural sites through which to understand how cultural representation is conceived by these writers and the kind of multiculturalism captured in such works. This paper explores the defini- tion of multiculturalism in relation to the problematics of the notions of tokenism and cultural representation in selected Malaysian Children’s Literature in English. The paper also considers implications of these problematics on classroom practice, particularly in teachers’ choice of classroom texts.