Edgewalkers are people who belong to two or more ethnic, cultural, or spiritual worlds. They reject both the idea of "melting pot" conformity and multiculturalism with its tendency to emphasize differences. Edgewalkers instead embrace their cultural complexity while still engaging in mainstream society. Through in-depth interviews, Krebs shares Edgewalkers' struggles and triumphs as they forge the uncharted territory of the new global frontier.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
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.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Walking the Razor's Edge and Making it Work,
By Robert Rex Walters (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Edgewalkers: Defusing Cultural Boundaries on the New Global Frontier (Paperback)
Dr. Krebs has done the worlds of psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and even business a tremendous favor with her highly original concept of Edgewalkers; those people originating from a distinct ethnic culture yet successfully (repeat: successfully) living and working within a different dominant culture. This book is a must-read for students, teachers, and lay persons interested in cultural diversity issues at any level.As an organizational psychologist interested in the ways in which people productively live and play together, I am continually amazed at the lack of understanding and tolerance within our contemporary workplace. In a greater sense, arenąt all of us members not only of the dominant culture, but also existing within one or more subcultures, sometimes voluntary, sometimes not? Dr. Krebs shines a laser beam on our contemporary cultural soup, teases out the active ingredients, and makes her case compelling for recognizing those contemporary humans that successfully walk the edge. Rex Walters, Ph.D.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much-needed book...but a bit limited,
This review is from: Edgewalkers: Defusing Cultural Boundaries on the New Global Frontier (Paperback)
When I scanned thorough the summary of this book, I knew I had to read it. It seemed to me to be a book written about me...until I actually read it. Krebs repeatedly brings up examples of people who are well...non-white. I am white and a product of several cultures, yet most of her examples centered on Asians, Africans, Hispanics. Which reminds me of many people and institutions' definition of diversity: "bring colored people in for window dressing". I have a friend who is born in Thailand but has absolutely no connection to the culture as he was brought up in an upper-class Western European household. In college, he was pestered with constant invitations to the Asian students' club who urged him "to explore his heritage." I bring this example to illustrate the disappointment I felt after I had finished Krebs' book. She rushes through testimonials and experiences (which seem somehow incomplete and clinical) into point-by-point "suggestions" for reconciling a multicultural person's identities and patterns of thought/behavior. Still, I could not wrangle a meaningful conclusion out of this book...it stirred my emotions but did not deliver.
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