For my podcast assignment, I’d like to focus on the ways in which white privilege manifests in children’s books, whether supported, challenged, or simply highlighted. I am taking a sociology class currently on the subject of White Privilege, and one of the things this class, and my passion for educational sociology, has gotten me thinking about is the ways in which we teach racism through certain racist pedagogies and curriculum. Peggy McIntosh’s article we read last week also provides us some insight on this subject. Investigating children’s literature, then, is a good place to start in terms of attempting to develop a picture of an anti-racist pedagogy that challenges the ideas of white privilege and gets kids to think about it. McIntosh states that our children are taught not to recognize white privilege. How can we teach them to do so? How do we open children’s mind to experiences they take for granted?
For now, I am going to start my investigation by examining Faith Ringgold’s book The Invisible Princess. This is a story set in the “Deep South” during a time of American slavery, describing the struggles of an African American slave family and their “invisible” child. Ringgold takes us on a fantastical journey, using imaginary figures, images, and names to illustrate all that is wrong with slavery and the ways in which we can achieve peace. While this book uses the issue of slavery to illustrate the rights of white people and the harsh treatment of African Americans, I think it is an important subject to cover in helping children understand the stark contrasts that exist between the American historical experience of white and black people. The language used in this book is an important aspect I will highlight, particularly the use of the word “visible.” I will hopefully be able to analyze Ringgold’s storytelling and the ways in which it does important things to teach children about the roots of white privilege and the African American experience.
This book is just a start, I hope to find other texts set in different periods of time and different situations (ideally including one non historically based but set in the present) in order to compete my critical analysis.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Quotable Quotes:The Emperor Was Divine
"For it was true, they all looked alike. Black hair. Slanted eyes. High cheekbones. Thick glasses. Thin lips. Bad teeth. Unknowable. Inscrutable.
That was him, over there.
The little yellow man."
This passage struck me as an important one to highlight, as it helps to convey Otsuka’s message in a blunt manner. The description of the physical traits of the prisoners in the camp leaves no details up to the imagination. All of these prisoners are Japanese, and this quote calls to mind the fact that the United States government put these people in camps according to a certain background and phenotype, that is, their imprisonment is not based on actual guilt or suspicious activity but solely on physical characteristics that place them within a certain ethnic heritage.
Also, Otsuka opens up a discussion here about talking openly about race. These descriptors are words that we might normally shy away from in classroom settings for fear of offending someone, but they are descriptions that we all hear and use. By having the narrator's voice detail these descriptions, the author gives the reader the ability to start conversations about the way people look and the meanings we put to these characteristics. Finally, this passage begins to open up the subject of lost individuality and identity, a part of the psychological damage done in these camps, places where they stamped identification numbers on people.
"There were rules about language, too: Here we say Dining Hall and not Mess Hall; Safety Council, not Internal Police; Residents, not Evacuees; and last but not least, Mental Climate, not Morale.
There were rules about food: No second helpings except for milk and bread.
And books: No books in Japanese.
There were rules about religion: No Emperor-worshipping Shintos allowed. "
These sentences give us a vivid illustration of the conditions under which these Japanese Americans were living. The descriptions are important because they demonstrate the harsh psychological conditions that accompanied the difficult physical conditions of the camps. While prisoners were there specifically because of their shared heritage and culture, the policies and rules of the internment camps attempted to rid the camp community of any signs of Japanese culture. This was a form of attempted cultural “cleansing” that may have been just as bad of a punishment as the physical lifestyle restraints being put on the imprisoned. Also, note in the first paragraph the way the people were made to refer to certain things in a more politically correct and pleasant sounding version of the different aspects of the camp. Through the prisoners eyes, therefore, Otasuka helps us to see the control mechanisms employed by these camps so that even the freedoms of language and beliefs were symbolically removed from the prisoners’ lives.
That was him, over there.
The little yellow man."
This passage struck me as an important one to highlight, as it helps to convey Otsuka’s message in a blunt manner. The description of the physical traits of the prisoners in the camp leaves no details up to the imagination. All of these prisoners are Japanese, and this quote calls to mind the fact that the United States government put these people in camps according to a certain background and phenotype, that is, their imprisonment is not based on actual guilt or suspicious activity but solely on physical characteristics that place them within a certain ethnic heritage.
Also, Otsuka opens up a discussion here about talking openly about race. These descriptors are words that we might normally shy away from in classroom settings for fear of offending someone, but they are descriptions that we all hear and use. By having the narrator's voice detail these descriptions, the author gives the reader the ability to start conversations about the way people look and the meanings we put to these characteristics. Finally, this passage begins to open up the subject of lost individuality and identity, a part of the psychological damage done in these camps, places where they stamped identification numbers on people.
"There were rules about language, too: Here we say Dining Hall and not Mess Hall; Safety Council, not Internal Police; Residents, not Evacuees; and last but not least, Mental Climate, not Morale.
There were rules about food: No second helpings except for milk and bread.
And books: No books in Japanese.
There were rules about religion: No Emperor-worshipping Shintos allowed. "
These sentences give us a vivid illustration of the conditions under which these Japanese Americans were living. The descriptions are important because they demonstrate the harsh psychological conditions that accompanied the difficult physical conditions of the camps. While prisoners were there specifically because of their shared heritage and culture, the policies and rules of the internment camps attempted to rid the camp community of any signs of Japanese culture. This was a form of attempted cultural “cleansing” that may have been just as bad of a punishment as the physical lifestyle restraints being put on the imprisoned. Also, note in the first paragraph the way the people were made to refer to certain things in a more politically correct and pleasant sounding version of the different aspects of the camp. Through the prisoners eyes, therefore, Otasuka helps us to see the control mechanisms employed by these camps so that even the freedoms of language and beliefs were symbolically removed from the prisoners’ lives.
Monday, September 6, 2010
On Positioning and Being Positioned
Hello My Names Are:
Taryn, Tar, Tah, Tareen
Taryn – This is my full given name. Its English nature hints at my mother’s northern European heritage. This is the name I am known by to most, and the name I use in the classroom and within professional settings. Though the name Taran can be a boy’s name, my name and the way it is spelled is female gendered. In addition, because my name is fairly unique, I am able to go by my first name without people having to say my last name, a comforting thing for me because I find most people have a difficult time pronouncing my last name. My first name and its easily pronounceable nature generally allows me access to most things and identifies a privileged side of myself. I can use my name, probably, to achieve any ends I would like.
Tar (pronounced Tare)- This is a nickname used by many of my friends, especially my teammates on my dance team. It is probably my most common name that I am called besides my full name. I really like Tar; I like nicknames and, since I was always sad growing up that my name was too short to really be shortened to a nickname, I have really enjoyed acquiring this nickname in college. This name gives me access to be casually addressed within friendships and also signals a special team relationship. While I enjoy this name in these settings, I would probably never use it at a job or in the classroom. Using Tar instead of my full proper name indicates that I have let my teammates into a more personal side of me, representing a close, trusting and fun relationship.
Tah – This name, derived from my initials T.A.H. is reserved for my grandmother’s use only. We used to spend a lot of time together when I was younger, and she was like a second mother to me. Tah is a name that symbolizes our close and loving relationship, though it also reminds me of being a child a little bit when she addressed me so. I still sign my emails to her with this name, it is one that I would never use otherwise but reminds me of the special connection we have.
Tareen- Tareen was a name I used when I went abroad to Madrid last fall. I used this pronunciation of my name because it is almost impossible to pronounce “Taryn” in Spanish because of the ways that the vowels and consonants come together in this language. My host mother and professors addressed me by this name, and eventually most of my American peers studying abroad with me used this name for me too, even though they could pronounce the English version just fine. I am quite fond of this name because it reminds me of this special semester and an incredible adventure in my life. In addition, using this name gave me some insight into what it is like to have a name of a different language and cultural origin from the dominant language in which you are living. Many people who move to the United States, for example, choose to change their names to an English version so that it is easier for people around them to pronounce it. Though I was able to appreciate this more after my experience as Tareen, I remember that I am lucky because I was able to choose to take on this name without minding, and I only had to use it for one semester. In that way I am privileged because my given name is easily pronounced and said by most people in the society in which I live.
Hello My Names Are Not:
Karen, Erin, Sharon…etc- Sometimes, people have a hard time hearing me when I say my name because it sounds like these other more common names. I also have a difficult time distinguishing between these names and my own when I hear them being called allowed because they sound so similar. I know it is an honest mistake, but sometimes it can be frustrating for me when people have a difficult time understanding my name at first because instances like this make me feel as if my name is a bit strange to others, compared to these other more common names.
Taryn, Tar, Tah, Tareen
Taryn – This is my full given name. Its English nature hints at my mother’s northern European heritage. This is the name I am known by to most, and the name I use in the classroom and within professional settings. Though the name Taran can be a boy’s name, my name and the way it is spelled is female gendered. In addition, because my name is fairly unique, I am able to go by my first name without people having to say my last name, a comforting thing for me because I find most people have a difficult time pronouncing my last name. My first name and its easily pronounceable nature generally allows me access to most things and identifies a privileged side of myself. I can use my name, probably, to achieve any ends I would like.
Tar (pronounced Tare)- This is a nickname used by many of my friends, especially my teammates on my dance team. It is probably my most common name that I am called besides my full name. I really like Tar; I like nicknames and, since I was always sad growing up that my name was too short to really be shortened to a nickname, I have really enjoyed acquiring this nickname in college. This name gives me access to be casually addressed within friendships and also signals a special team relationship. While I enjoy this name in these settings, I would probably never use it at a job or in the classroom. Using Tar instead of my full proper name indicates that I have let my teammates into a more personal side of me, representing a close, trusting and fun relationship.
Tah – This name, derived from my initials T.A.H. is reserved for my grandmother’s use only. We used to spend a lot of time together when I was younger, and she was like a second mother to me. Tah is a name that symbolizes our close and loving relationship, though it also reminds me of being a child a little bit when she addressed me so. I still sign my emails to her with this name, it is one that I would never use otherwise but reminds me of the special connection we have.
Tareen- Tareen was a name I used when I went abroad to Madrid last fall. I used this pronunciation of my name because it is almost impossible to pronounce “Taryn” in Spanish because of the ways that the vowels and consonants come together in this language. My host mother and professors addressed me by this name, and eventually most of my American peers studying abroad with me used this name for me too, even though they could pronounce the English version just fine. I am quite fond of this name because it reminds me of this special semester and an incredible adventure in my life. In addition, using this name gave me some insight into what it is like to have a name of a different language and cultural origin from the dominant language in which you are living. Many people who move to the United States, for example, choose to change their names to an English version so that it is easier for people around them to pronounce it. Though I was able to appreciate this more after my experience as Tareen, I remember that I am lucky because I was able to choose to take on this name without minding, and I only had to use it for one semester. In that way I am privileged because my given name is easily pronounced and said by most people in the society in which I live.
Hello My Names Are Not:
Karen, Erin, Sharon…etc- Sometimes, people have a hard time hearing me when I say my name because it sounds like these other more common names. I also have a difficult time distinguishing between these names and my own when I hear them being called allowed because they sound so similar. I know it is an honest mistake, but sometimes it can be frustrating for me when people have a difficult time understanding my name at first because instances like this make me feel as if my name is a bit strange to others, compared to these other more common names.
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