Transcript The Need for Multiculturalism in the Social Sciences

The Need for Multiculturalism in
the Social Sciences
A critique of current practice
Matt Roberts
Pine-Richland High School
Multiculturalism
• The view that the various cultures in a society
merit equal respect and scholarly interest.
• Started in Canada, as a political philosophy, in
the early 1970’s.
• Had increasing influence in the United States,
especially in education, in the 1980’s.
– The shift in philosophy from America as a “Melting
Pot,” to America as a “Salad Bowl.”
Three Forms
• Generalizability approach – Seeks to find
similarities and generalities across groups.
• Group Differences approach – Seeks to
determine the limits of generalizability and
the variability between groups.
• Multicultural approach – Examines the unique
and nuanced characteristics of one or more
groups. It does not necessarily propose that
characteristics in one group exist in others.
Challenges
• The three approaches need not be mutually
exclusive. Unfortunately, the first two are
commonly used without the third.
• Additionally, misrepresentations of a group’s
historical experience frequently occur due to
poor a priori conceptualizations.
– Modernization = Westernization
– Valuing progress over stability
Critical Reading as Social Studies
Teachers
• Textbook review
• Special Considerations
– The Textbook is not the Curriculum
– The Textbook is often how students interact with
the curriculum. It is what is most often assessed.
– We tend to remember Big Ideas and Small Details
but rarely recall connections or applications.
Critical Reading as Social Studies
Teachers
• The author(s) create a historical narrative
through the use of three related devices.
– Agency vs. Structure
– Voice
– Perspective
Critical Reading as Social Studies
Teachers
• Agency - The capacity of individuals to act
independently and to make their own free
choices.
• Structure - those factors of influence (such as
social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, customs,
etc.) that determine or limit an agent and his or
her decisions.
– Barker, Chris. 2005. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage. ISBN 0-76194156-8 p448
• Whose Voice is heard in reading a World History
text?
Perspective
• 100,000 foot view - Broad sweeping historical narratives
of large regions, nations, people or Empires
• 10,000 Foot View - Broad chronology of specific peoples,
regions, nations, concepts
• 1,000 Foot View - History of a specific time and/or place
• 100 Foot View - Third Person Historical fiction or
biography
• On the Ground - First person narrative, Diary,
Autobiography, Oral Histories
Activity #1
• What is the Perspective of your assigned
chapter?
– Number of pages : Chronological Years
– Level of Detail (Personal Names, Specific Events,
Quotations, and primary Sources)
– Breadth of Focus (Time and Space, Chronology
and Geography)
• Where is your chapter on the Perspective
Scale?
Activity # 2
• Agency vs. Structure
– Do the people affect _______?
– Does the ________ effect the people?
• Culture, Art, Technology, Religion, Politics & Government
• Look for the verbs. Active vs. Passive Voice
– “humanists influenced artists and architects to carry
on classical traditions.” pg 472
– “The culture of early modern China was based mainly
on traditional forms.” pg 541
Activity # 2 cont.
• Agents of what?
– Look at the adjectives and verbs.
– “It [Portugal] established control of the straights of
Hormuz… and helped stop Muslim traders from
reaching India.” pg 533
– “ Mehmed II Conquers Constantinople” pg 508
– “Ottomans Take Islam’s Holy Cities.” pg 509
Activity #3
• The Historic Narrative
– Write down, in paragraph form the Chapter and
section titles.
• Chapter 17
• European Renaissance and Reformation 1300-1600.
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance. Italy’s advantages.
Classical and worldly values. The Renaissance
revolutionizes art…
Chapter 17
• European Renaissance and Reformation, 1300-1600. Italy:
Birthplace of the Renaissance. Italy’s advantages. Classical
and worldly values. The Renaissance revolutionizes art.
Renaissance writers change literature.
• The Northern Renaissance begins. Artistic ideas spread.
Northern writers try to reform society. The Elizabethan age.
Printing spreads renaissance ideas. The legacy of the
Renaissance.
• Luther leads the reformation. Causes of the Reformation.
Luther challenges the Church. The response to Luther.
England become Protestant. The Reformation continues.
Calvin continues the Reformation. Other Protestant
reformers. The Catholic reformation. The legacy of the
reformation.
Chapter 18
• The Muslim World Expands, 1300-1700. The
Ottomans build a vast empire. Turks move into
Byzantium. Powerful Sultans spur dramatic
expansion. Suleyman the Lawgiver. The Empire
declines slowly.
• Cultural blending. Patterns of cultural blending.
The Safavids build an empire. The Safavid Golden
Age. The dynasty declines quickly.
• The Mughal Empire in India. Early history of the
Mughals. Akbar’s Golden Age. Akbar’s successors.
The Empire’s decline and decay.
Chapter 19
• An age of exploration and isolation, 1400 – 1800.
Europeans explore the east. For God, Gold, and
Glory. Portugal leads the way. Spain also makes a
claim. Trading Empires in the Indian ocean.
• China limits European contacts. China under the
powerful Ming dynasty. Manchus found the Qing
dynasty. Life in Ming and Qing China.
• Japan returns to isolation. A new feudalism under
strong leaders. Life in Tokugawa Japan. Contact
between Europe and Japan. The closed country
policy.
Chapter 17
• European Renaissance and Reformation 1300-1600. Italy:
Birthplace of the Renaissance. Italy’s advantages. Classical
and worldly values. The Renaissance revolutionizes art.
Renaissance writers change literature.
• The Northern renaissance begins. Artistic ideas spread.
Northern Writers try to reform society. The Elizabethan age.
Printing spreads renaissance ideas. The legacy of the
Renaissance.
• Luther leads the reformation. Causes of the Reformation.
Luther challenges the Church. The response to Luther.
England become Protestant. The Reformation continues.
Calvin continues the Reformation. Other Protestant
reformers. The Catholic reformation. The legacy o the
reformation.
Chapter 18
• The Muslim World Expands, 1300-1700. The
ottomans build a vast empire. Turks move into
Byzantium. Powerful Sultans spur dramatic
expansion. Suleyman the Lawgiver. The Empire
declines slowly.
• Cultural blending. Patterns of cultural blending.
The Safavids build an empire. The Safavid Golden
Age. The dynasty declines quickly.
• The Mughal Empire in India. Early history of the
Mughals. Akbar’s Golden Age. Akbar’s successors.
The Empire’s decline and decay.
Chapter 19
• An age of exploration and isolation, 1400 – 1800.
Europeans explore the east. For God, Gold, and
Glory. Portugal leads the way. Spain also makes a
claim. Trading Empires in the Indian ocean.
• China limits European contacts. China under the
powerful Ming dynasty. Manchus found the Qing
dynasty. Life in Ming and Qing China.
• Japan returns to isolation. A new feudalism under
strong leaders. Life in Tokugawa Japan. Contact
between Europe and Japan. The closed country
policy.
Chapter 17: Europe
Chapter 18: The Muslim World
Chapter 19: East Asia
The Narrative Arc
• Europe = Innovation, Change, Legacy
• Southwest Asia = Foundation, Expansion,
Decline
• East Asia = Backwardness, Passivity, Isolation
Why is this important?
• We experience the world through the lens of
our schema.
• The purpose of World History is to describe
how the modern world came to be.
Indicators of Modernity
– Copernicus
– Vesalius
– Shen Kuo
– Ibn Sina
Who’s modernity?
• The Fallacy of Unique Origination.
– The Printing Press, pg 484
– Rationalism
• I think therefore I am.
• The Identification of Mind and Principle
• The Floating Man
Going forward
• The Text book is not the curriculum.
• In your curriculum…
– Who are the agents of change?
• What changes do they affect?
– Who’s voice tells the story?
• Who’s history are you teaching?
– What is being emphasized?
• Detail indicates importance