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Rebecca BlankenshipI spend alot of time with the BRI as well with my students. One of the really fun things to unpack are these videos. Belt and Road Bedtime Storieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKhYFFLBaeQ&list=PL9L-IThOGSxTeILrN0FUbuq3Vdadsn1wN The Belt and Road Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KFBHBMatXk Everything You Need to Know about One Belt One Road which is my favorite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLBoom8M8Vw These spark really interesting conversation with students about who the intended audience is and what is the purpose of these English language kids clips. It is actually how I introduce POV and Soapstone to my students. I teach middle school and they often miss the fact that CGTN is State Run Media. Which begs the question why is the Chinese government trying to get English speaking youth to feel postive about BRI? Develop soft power? Kids often feel they have so little agency. When they realize there is big power and money involved in swaying thier opinion, they start to pay more attention to the messages coming their way.
Rebecca BlankenshipEmily,
I love your suggestions. I am also interested in looking at Korean male beauty such as the flower boys versus Western ideals of masculinity. Here is an interesting article on that http://beyondhallyu.com/k-pop/just-pretty-face-long-little-known-history-korean-flower-boys/. Another interesting look is the impact of Flower Boys and Soft Masculinity in Korea https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42499809 Given the spread of Korean culture to the US. There is so much to discuss in including toxic masculinity and etc. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/05/9674149/kpop-male-singers-masculinity
Rebecca BlankenshipI have been following the stories of Uyighurs in the news, but really appreciate Dr. Gladney's historical background on East. Turkistan. That clarified a lot of vaguery for me. I was fascinated to find out the Zheng He was Muslim. The characterization of Uighurs as scapegoats rather than terrorist to legitimate Chinese need to control Xianjiang as the life line of the BRI makes a lot of sense. Especially as the incidence Uiygur terrorism is pretty limited. Fighting percieved Radical Islam is an interesting common ground for the US, Russia and China. As each country has had its own legit fight of radical Islam it would seem this threat actually create a common enemy for the three nations. In each country it has also led to varying degrees of scapegoating and policies that seek to control the Muslim population. I was in Russia a few years back staying with friends and tried to follow the new at the time visa registration rule and was told repeatedly that that law did not apply to me as I was not Central Asian/Muslim. I am curious to learn more about how technology is being used to control and supress the Uiyurs.
Rebecca BlankenshipI will be honest, Buddhism is not something I have taught well in the past. It was maybe a day or two of learning. I just did not know enough which is why I am so thankful for this class. I know have a much deeper appreciation of how Buddhism spread and how it evolved in Korea, Japan and China. I never really understood how it was the Buddhism was able to live along side other religious traditions. Learnin about the expedience means of the Bodhisattva that can take the form of a kami in Japan makes how Buddhism spread make so much sense. I also really appreciated how Buddhism also was able to meet the needs of filial piety by tapping monks extra good deeds and using them to help the ancestors. It was fascinating that this also really filled a need to meet the needs of helping mothers in a way that patriarchal Confucianism did not do.
Rebecca BlankenshipHi Natalie,
Have you read Loveboat Tapei by Abigail Hing Wen? It's YA and my students love it. I am not aware of any heritage type programs for Americans abroad. The State Department sponsors the FLEX program that brings high school aged students from former Soviet Block Countries, Eastern Europe and Central Asia to the US. Students live with US families and study at US high schools. We hosted a student from Kazakstan many years ago. She is still family to us. They program is fully funded for those students including travel, living stipend, etc. It is highly competetive to get accepted into FLEX. So there are some efforts made to extend US soft power in that way.
Rebecca BlankenshipI teach a Women's Studies elective and I was aware of the impact of Korean beauty standards on US ideals of beauty. In addition, the Korean beauty's 10 step product heavy skin care regimes in which people spend 100s of dollars to look like they are not wearing any make up. I was not aware of the Escape the Corset movement. I am so fascinated by this. I found this really wonderful article https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/703749983/south-korean-women-escape-the-corset-and-reject-their-countrys-beauty-ideals#:~:text=by%20Jeon%20Bora.-,Having%20short%20hair%20and%20no%20makeup%20is%20a%20common%20symbol,and%20social%20pressure%20to%20conform.&text=The%20women%20liken%20this%20pressure,%2C%20%22escape%20the%20corset.%22
It was interesting to me the link the article made between beauty standards and the patriarchy in Korea. I think a comparision of this between the US and Korea would be so interesting to students.
Rebecca BlankenshipI live with a 13 year old BTS Army member. The reading have been interesting to me as I never really thouht of this a soft power, but after reading the articles I can see that I have been living this here at home. Three years ago my child fell in love with BTS. Then she started watching Kdramas. A picky eater she was willing to start trying different Korean food and as I love to cook was more than happy to dive down that hole with her. Now as a family, we happily spend time watching Kdramas. We just finished King Enternal, though our favorite was Memories of Alhambra. My daughter now has a Korean tutor twice a week and we have many Korean dishes that are a regular part of our line up. Hmart is part of our monthly grocery shopping. Prior to her falling in love with Kpop Korea was not really on our radar. So I see the power behind this Korean wave.
I would argue that the Korean Wave has pushed into Young Adult literature as well in a really significant way. Korean American authors are widely popular with my students: Jenny Han, Maureen Goo, Kat Cho, David Yoon and Mary H.K. Choi. These are authors my students love and read with abandon. The popularity of Korean culture has made these novels even more appealing to students and it allows them to emerse themselves in the lives of Korean Americans in a way the build empathy and expose them to the lived experience that are very different from the predominatley white culture of the students I teach. I am not going to lie. I have leveraged with love of Kdrama and Kpop with many of my students ( and child) to get them to read. Like BTS is a gateway drug to Korean culture, I use Kpop to get kids reading.
I personally read a lot of YA. In part because YA is great and because as a MS teacher in order to get kids to love to read you need to be able to make recommendations. I recently finished I'll be the One by Lyla Lee which is one of the best books I have read in a while. It is the story of a 17 yo plus size Korean American girl from LA. She tries out for a Kpop Idol TV contest. The book is an awesome counter point to unrealistic beauty and size expectations seen in Kpop and Kdrama. Glass skin and kimchi and kpop diets are a dangerous biproduct of hallyu with American teens. This book was a wonder story of body positivity and being yourself.
Here is a great article about the Korean Wave in YA literature.
Rebecca BlankenshipEmily,
I love the idea of using a debate for looking at the role of women in Socialism. I teach Women's Studies and I think my students would really dig into this.
Rebecca BlankenshipMany of us including our students think with our stomachs. Foods and food history is such as great way to get student engaged in the study of history. I loved the video about Chamoy in addition to the articles on the Japanese influence on Peruvian cuisine. World History tends to be so abstract and distant for students, but food is a tangible way to bring history alive for students. From there you can jump out into then looking at the impact of Chinese trade routes on Mexican artwork, textiles and handicrafts. This way students can begin to trace the spread of ideas from one place to the next and see how they inspired new traditions and the marriage of ideas into something new and powerful.
Rebecca BlankenshipGreetings from Vashon Island, WA. My name is Becky and I teach 7th grade Humanities which is dual ELA/SS class which covers the world from 600-1450. My daughter got my hooked on Kdramas and Cdramas during our covid staycation. I love weaving in modern culture with the historical trade route and there has been alot to talk about of late. Can't wait to learn more.
