“Rewriting” Cultural Safety Within the Postcolonial and Postnational Feminist Project

Abstract

The concept of cultural safety, developed by indigenous nurses in the postcolonial climate of New Zealand, has not been widely examined in North America. In this article we explicate the theoretical and methodological issues that came to the forefront in our attempts to use this concept in our research with different populations in Canada. We argue that this concept prompts us to "think critically" about ourselves and our patients, and to be mindful of our own sociocultural, economic, and historical location. This critical reflection has implications for how we live, relate to one another, and practice in our various professional disciplines. On the basis of our findings, we discuss how the concept might be rewritten within a critical postcolonial and postnational feminist discourse.

Rethinking cultural competence

“…Cultural safety does not emphasize developing ''competence'' through knowledge about the cultures with which professionals are working. Instead, cultural safety emphasizes recognizing the social, historical, political and economic circumstances that create power differences and inequalities in health and the clinical encounter (Anderson, Perry, et al, 2003;Anderson, Scrimshaw, et al, 2003). Cultural safety has some overlap with concepts such as ''cultural sensitivity,'' cultural responsiveness and ''cultural humility'' -that is, with a willingness and ability to listen and learn from patients.…”

Factor Structure of Almutairi’s Critical Cultural Competence Scale

“…The latter is a fundamental issue that has been widely criticized in the literature due to the reduction of the complex nature of the concept of culture into a set of measurable variables [7,8]. This approach runs the risk of fostering stereotypes and could provide a fertile climate for racism and discrimination [9,10]. Another limitation at the conceptual level is that these frameworks do not take into account power-difference factors such as race, class, gender, etc.…”

Pedagogy as Influencing Nursing Students' Essentialized Understanding of Culture

“…The primary impediments to equity in health care comprise structural constraints and restricted life opportunities, as opposed to cultural beliefs and barriers (Anderson et al, 2003;Browne et al, 2009). In their cultural narratives, none of the 22 participants used the word power, and the essays generally lacked awareness of the historical and sociopolitical dimensions of people's lives.…”