Edgewalkers: Defusing Cultural Boundaries on the New Global Frontier

The traditional "melting pot" ideal has emphasized assimilation, while advocates of multiculturalism have argued that cultural groups should maintain distinct boundaries to facilitate political empowerment. Psychologist Krebs (Changing Woman, Changing Work) coins the phrase "edgewalkers" for those who will fully live in "a borderland" between the two approaches. In 1995, when Tiger Woods objected to press descriptions of himself as African-American by asserting that he was equally of Thai descent, he exemplified edgewalking by making the difficult choice to claim a complex identity. Edgewalkers also manifest the ability to change cultural gears without compromising themselves: for example, psychologist Satsuko Ina recounts how she left her confrontational role as the leader of a Gestalt group to return home, where she was to take part in her father's funeral as a traditional Japanese daughter. Not solely confined to ethnicity, Krebs's term also includes feminists negotiating their way in male-dominated work settings, spiritual seekers who absorb other faiths without departing from their religions of origin and American Caucasians who step outside of the mainstream culture to serve the disenfranchised. Primarily addressing edgewalkers seeking support and guidance, Krebs smoothly blends interviews with broad social analysis, intentionally simplifying a complex subject. Each chapter closes with a recap that would be helpful for classroom instruction. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Some diversities are seen as threatening: those who do not fit in with whatever "our" culture is are at best ignored and at worst reviled. In this thoughtful work, Krebs, a corporate consultant and psychologist, summarizes her interviews with some 40 individuals she calls edgewalkers (always in italics), people who have chosen to "embrace cultural complexity, to see differences as enriching rather than debilitating, to walk the edge." Affirmation of multiculturism, the development of mutual insights, and the cultural sensitivities of these edgewalkers' lifestyles and mindsets are hopeful examples of positive approaches to the development of attitudes that will encourage peoples with diverse, seemingly conflicting, beliefs to "get along" with each other. Krebs calls this "cultural competence," the acquisition of strategies for living successfully in different worlds, treating differences with respect rather than a reaction of insecurity, contempt, or fear. Recommended for public and academic libraries.ASuzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.