A project of the Mississippi Coalition for Racial Justice.

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education: cultural mapping exercise

Cultural mapping is an exercise developed to facilitate cross–cultural communication. It can be done in any setting and can be adapted for multiple purposes:

  • in the classroom
  • in small groups, such as with people who have known each other for a long time
  • in groups of people who do not know each other at all
  • at conferences to explore specific issues
  • at cocktail parties and other social events
  • in the rehearsal hall
  • as cross–cultural exploration
  • to improve communication skills
  • to establish group process
  • to explore cultural diversity
  • as an ice-breaker

A facilitator asks a question, and participants organize themselves into groups according to the answers. For example, participants could be organized first by religion, then by gender, then by socio–economic status, then by state of birth. The exercise demonstrates the fluidity of group identity.

Click here to download a PDF file with the detailed instructions and guidelines for a cultural mapping exercise.

This four-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

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