The Deficit Approach

The Deficit Approach or way of thinking situates certain cultures as preferred while others are seen as having deficits. This mentality can be unacknowledged or overt. It can be seen in classrooms where the main sources of literature and content are from authors or sources who are white or European, while little to no instructional validation is given to authors of color or those from developing countries. Further, the cultural norms or behaviors of certain groups are seen as preferred while the cultural norms or behavior of other groups are seen as backwards, lacking, or unrefined. 

Further, the deficit model generalizes Eurocentrism as the norm, effectively creating an "other" of all other perspectives and ways of thinking. Whiteness and Eurocentrism are held up as the standard, while the "others" are used as points of comparison but not validated on equal standards.

In regard to the use of migration literature, it is vital to center the works of these authors and to honor their experiences as full and complete with no projected deficit. Migration literature can successfully complicate and enrich simplistic, generalized ways of thinking, and it can be used to encourage students to interrogate common narratives or commonly held beliefs about other humans.

The Accommodating Approach

The Accommodating Approach attempts to be inclusive and celebratory toward all cultures and ways of thinking. It operates within a mentality where diversity is recognized but differences are effectively ignored or smoothed over; in this approach, "colorblindness" is seen as a positive rather than a disastrous minimization of all the unique aspects of humanity, similarities and differences included. The Accommodating Approach does not dig into deeper issues of power structures, systemic racism, colonization, or the historical implications of present injustices. Instead, this approach manages to stay on the surface and avoids critical analysis. In such situations, the use of migration literature can offer specificity in regard to personal experience and voice, and it can successfully complicate all the generalizations made in effort to accommodate.