the psychological interaction that drives developmental and experimental
learning typically proceeds within a framework of social interaction
(1995,178)
And then he adds that "total independence is not autonomy but autism" (ibid.).
Therefore, considering that autonomy has to be considered within a given cultural
context, the question is to ask to what extent the concept of autonomy is authentic (i.e,
appropriate) in relation to that given culture.
First of all, it is necessary to define the concept of culture. According to Pennycook
(based on Simon 1992), "culture determines how social reality is understood" (1997,47). In
this sense, culture is understood as people's thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that respond to
certain social reality. The notion of culture that underlies this study focus on the
psychological and genetic features of culture, which imply the notions of "adjustment,
problem solving learning and habits" (Berry et al; 1992, 166) and understands that
"culture arises as adaptive to the habitat of the group, out of social
interaction, and out of a creative process that is characteristic of the
human species" (ibid).
This definition also implies that a culture can be formed at different levels of
organisations. Thus, it is possible to talk about a Mexican and an English culture or even a
Western culture. It is evident that this level results in very general characteristics or, what is
worse, false stereotypes. However, this type of definition also allows more specific
reference. In this sense, we can talk about a learning culture and even "the culture of the
EFL classroom". Along this line, Holliday talks about large and small cultures:
By ‘large’ culture I mean ethnic, national or international; by ‘small’ I mean
any cohesive social grouping, (1997b)
The reader will understand that within the framework of this study it will be necessary to
focus on small culture, in the sense of Holliday.
In recent years, there has been a tendency to discuss the cultural issue of autonomy
as a dichotomy between the culture in which the approach was created and the one which
the learner belongs to. Based on the origins of the autonomy approach for language learning
(what I have identified as the European school), it is common, to label it as the Western
culture. On the other side, one finds people working for the adaptation and development of
the autonomy approach in places such as Singapore or Mexico. There are many possible