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Jasmine WangI really like the idea of students seeing these ideas in modern Japan! I would also maybe use media like films or... manga(?) to see if they could also make these connections. Great idea!
Jasmine Wangi was also surprised about the wood blocking fact! Chinatown in Los Angeles has many stores that sell numerous mini handmade, woodblock stamps! For fun, I was thinking about a DIY woodblocking activity with students... or my son!
Jasmine WangI really appreciate the connections you made with the reading and what is going on with socio-political conditions in this country. Some other connections I'm thinking about is even looking at Koreatown and Little Tokyo and the changing demographics. During undergraduate school, I met an Asian Americans MA student who was looking at the demographic changes of Little Tokyo and how it has changed from dominantly Japanese elders to Korean elders. For whatever reason, Japanese elders were being pushed out and/ or bought out by Korean elders and Korean companies. This text could really help students understand and make connections with current issues and events in their communities.
Jasmine WangEric, I appreciae your post! I tend to look at US discrimination towards various ethnic groups as a rotation. The US seems to discriminate certain groups at their convenience and on rotation, to a certain extent, almost a divide and conquer strategy. Your post made me think about having students create a timeline of US racial oppression. Students could visualize the overlaps in ethnic and racial discrimination and maybe compare why and who gets oppressed through what institutions... What an interesting way to see the US over time...
Jasmine WangCAAM has an exhibit right now that discusses that! Maybe you can check it out or take your students. That would be something I could do if I can get the forms out in time: look at the reasons why Chinese were allowed to come in and what that meant for the US and its growth.
Jasmine WangI do agree with looking at the nuances in history, especially with this growth mindset, AND I think it's also important to not dismiss the effects of institutional racism and white supremacy as "Oh, well people change." It is definitely different when folks who are constantly attempting to grow and change affect someone, and when someone has the power to put in the media who to follow and not follow, and what to believe and what not to believe. People grow and learn from their mistakes, and people are still traumatized from the systematic racism that was fueled by this ideology. It would be interesting to see students compare and contrast the profiles Kurashige writes about with comparing and contrasting people's perspectives today, ie. Trump pre and post presidency. Does he say the same things? View immigrants the same way?
Jasmine WangI like the idea of having students annotate the reading and help them understand the role of government in these horrific events. Moreover, I would ask for students to examine the short and long term effects of The Great Famine. While the Great Famine is "officially" three years, students could look at the effects of this period after the three years, especially in more rural areas. My students could do some research as to how communities developed post Great Famine.
Jasmine WangI appreciate these readings because I can use them ALL (but I might not) use them for a unit next semester. For my IB curriculum, I get to cover the topic "Authoritarian States in the 20th Century," so Mao and cultural revolution. With the "Ideology and Dictionary" text, it is a great way to get students thinking about the power of language and indoctrination. Students have to take a Theory of Knowledge class (like Philosophy 101), and this is a text we could use to discuss the use of propaganda and indoctrination. Students could discuss the power of propaganda in China and compare and contrast it to other countries' use of propaganda under an authoritarian state, or as a way to push for a creation of a state. Moreover, students could use this text to create propaganda posters (in conjuncion with their Mandarin teacher?).
Moreover, I would like to use the texts "The Red Guards" and "Victims" while students read Red Scarf Girl (see attached link to book online) to help them contextualize and visualize what was going on during the cultural revolution. It's really interesting to see the contrast between those who actively particpated with the Red Guards and those who were victims of the revolution. In Red Scarf Girl (even though I haven't finished it), the young girl recalls participating with the Red Guards, but questoining her own actions at the same time. While the actions of the Red Guards begin to increase, like seen in the text and the book, Ji-Li is forced to pick on and bully her own aunt to get in line with the party (like seen in the "Victims" text). It would be great to have students read and discuss the nuances of these actions during this time and how it affected society. Furthermore, it would be ideal to have students research the role of and impact on women and "minorities" during this time.
http://campbellenglish.weebly.com/uploads/8/3/1/8/8318203/red_scarf_girl_-_ji-li_jiang.pdf
Jasmine WangI really appreciate this reading because it defines America in a different way. In all of my classes, I have students question the normalcy in ways we think, what we think, and how we think. It is interesting to see how colonization, Americanization, and assimilation is embodied in my students and myself when they respond to and question this idea.
I think this is an article I can use in my IB, US, and World History course. I would really like students to focus on the spread of imperialism and capitalism. Students could look at how industrialization, capitalism, and imperialism affect "Western" countries in comparison to "Eastern" countries. How are the norms in other countries (we could read text that were covered in the seminar about Japan, Korea, and China) different or similar to those seen in the US? How are norms in the US seen as "modern," and how does it affect other countries to follow? To what extent are Zu's observations of the US similar to today's US? How are they different?
Definitely an insightful reading to question the norms and actions of the West.... AND one should always question the values and limitations of the text... along with the purpose and origin of the author.
Jasmine WangI would love to watch some or all of We the Workers with my students. Typically in my world history course, I start off my industrialization unit with a current event. The current event I usually use is the suicide of the Foxconn workers in China a few years back. The question that is posed to students is "Who or what is to blame for the suicide of the Foxconn workers." Students are asked to analyze the ideas of capitalism and socialism, and the effects of industrialization on the world and our every day lives. I think the film would be a great way to show how ideas and events like this come "full circle." While nothing is "done," it's important for students to know that the story doesn't end at the death of Foxconn workers. It is important for students to know that there are ways to resist and there are people and institutions that can be held responsible. The question becomes how can it be done. If students are able to watch the film, I'd like them to compare and contrast the struggles with workers in the film to those during the industrialization era. Moreover, I'd like them to take note of what activists and workers did to resist and hold institutions accountable. What were some of the strategies they used in demanding for their due wages, healthcare, etc. This would eventually take us into our South African apartheid unit when students look at resistance strategies used during Apartheid to regain humanity.
Jasmine WangOne of the biggest challenges we will have is the establishment of the republic when after our revolution takes place. Much of the population have been indoctrinated by the Manchu government, engaging in cruel customs, smoking opium, and maintaining culture that goes against modern progress. The Chinese people need to build their min zu (nationalism/ national consciousness), where the land is returned to the rightful owners and we build a Chinese democracy!
Sticking to the San Min Chu (Three Principles of the People), we must center nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood in our fight. These will be the guiding principles in unifying our people and overthrowing the Manchu tyrants. To reach this, there are three steps we must take. The first is military rule. While this is not the end condition, this is how we rid of Manchu political and social abuses. Next, we implement a provisional constitution. With that, military power will move to local admistration. Last, constitutional rule will be implemented. This is when there is no military rule and the government lies within a constitution based in Chinese democratic ideals.
This is our way forward! Down with the Manchu!
Jasmine WangI hope to use some of this text (if I can get it in time) in my Ethnic Studies course. Many of my ninth grade students come with preconceived notions about others based on race, ethnic background, gender, etc. In the beginning of the semester to get them to think about their identities, I asked the class to define race. Thirty something brains in the class and they could not come up with a definition of race. Is it skin color? Cultural norms? Ethnic background? We were able to demystify the idea of race, however, I still would like to make it more tangible for them. As we move forward into learning about the various experiences of folks in the US and how colonization affected people of color and indigenous folks, I am excited to possibly use this text to help students understand the ways in which "the system" discriminates. It is tangible for students to see the interpersonal racism between each other and even within their own families, but I think it's a bit more difficult to see the insititutional, systematic racism that forces everyday people to be racist or discriminatory to each other. With that being said, I am concerned about how difficult this text might be for my ninth graders. On average. students seem to be fairly at level, or almost at level, so I definitely need to scaffold the text. Maybe I'll chunk the text? Choose certain pages? I also like to do reading circles with students where they can process and understand the material together before going into a large class discussion....
Jasmine WangI really appreciated these readings because of the lack of (any) Asian history in WWI and WWII in "traditional" and dominant history texts. It's quite unfortunate how Eurocentric history education is in schools. There are so many missed connections students can make about history due to the missing perspectives of the story.
With that being said, chapter 21 discusses the influence of Western powers, white supremacy, and imperialism in Japan in the 20th century, and I could not stop contemplating about how I could incorporate these readings with future units about the Middle East. I'm currently using texts from James Gelvin, a Middle Eastern historian at UCLA with my IB students, and I assigned them a reading that gives them a framework of understanding the development of "modernity" in the area during this same time period. It would be interesting to engage students in a discussion about comparing and contrasting the development of Japan and a country from the Middle East during this time period.
What role did white supremacy play in their development? How did countries respond to "modernization"? How did countries respond and interpret the "success" of European colonization and imperialism? What role did academia, women, and media have in pushing new ideology?
How exciting!
Jasmine WangI haven't seen this, but might be of some interest to you.
Jasmine WangI really appreciate this sessions readings in relation to my Ethnic Studies class. While I can use these text for IB, I'm interested in being able to have students think about the colonization we all inherit from history and how it can affect something as "simple" as our names. In what ways do we wash ourselves of our native culture and identity? How much do we choose to "wash" ourselves with the colonizer's culture? What parts do we choose to maintain or rid to our convenience? I have many students that cannot answer questions about their own history, let alone their parents' histories. A few of these texts can help students open up their thinking and questioning process in my identity unit for Ethnic Studies.
