Asian/American Curricular Epistemicide : From Being Excluded to Becoming a Model Minority

In this important book, Nicholas Hartlep and Daniel Scott’s detailed analyses on both visual and historical representations of Asian Americans in textbooks and teacher manuals used in our elementary and secondary schools poignantly tell us that generations of children are growing up being fed this single story about Asian Americans. As Hartlep and Scott write. Asian Americans have once again been constructed as the “good minority” that can succeed on their own and be used as a political instrument to shame the Blacks for their underachievement and their fight for equality. Over and over again, the media has been telling “a single story” about Asian Americans to the public for the past fifty years. The consequence of this fabricated story is that it “discourages others—even Asian-Americans themselves—from believing in the validity of their struggles” (Linshi, 2014, p. 1). Chinese labor during the California Gold Rush. Japanese internment. Geopolitical segregation. Racial stereotypes. Asian/American Curricular From Being Excluded to Becoming a Model Minority delves into how these events and issues are portrayed-or, in some cases, ignored-in today's K-12 social studies curricula. The authors' scholarly and personal backgrounds and experiences have specially situated them to undertake this objective yet critical analysis, as they examine the constructed historical narratives of Chinese and Japanese immigration, multiculturalism, and the overall hegemonic narrative as it has been shaped by the politicization of social studies curricula. This content analysis is intended to initiate a broader conversation about the methods behind a curriculum's formation. How is historical information selected, then molded into a particular narrative for public consumption? Through the authors' insightful exploration, educators and citizens alike may better identify how influential entities and agendas shape curricula behind the scenes. The authors hope that the light they bring to bear on this topic will equip readers to conduct their own analysis and to be more aware and constructively critical of our K-12 educational system. "At last, a book-length study that investigates Asian American representation in official school knowledge! Despite an extensive body of curriculum research on inclusion and representation of historically marginalized groups, Asian Americans and their perspectives have rarely received attention in and of themselves in curriculum studies. Despite some, although still incomplete, progress in curricular treatment of historically marginalized groups, Asian Americans are still almost absent, and when they appear, they are generally misrepresented in school textbooks. Hartlep and Scott's detailed and powerful analysis of Asian American representation in school textbooks and teaching materials used in K-12 schools makes a significant contribution to the curriculum research and curriculum writing toward a more inclusive, just, and transformative teaching and learning of the past and the present of the United States." - Sohyun An, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Studies Education, Kennesaw State University, USA "Chinese labor during the California Gold Rush. Japanese internment. Geopolitical segregation. Racial stereotypes. 'Asian/American Curricular Epistemicide: From Being Excluded to Becoming a Model Minority' delves into how these events and issues are portrayed - or, in some cases, ignored - in today's K-12 social studies curricula. The authors? scholarly and personal backgrounds and experiences have specially situated them to undertake this objective yet critical analysis, as they examine the constructed historical narratives of Chinese and Japanese immigration, multiculturalism, and the overall hegemonic narrative as it has been shaped by the politicization of social studies curricula. This content analysis is intended to initiate a broader conversation about the methods behind a curriculum's formation. How is historical information selected, then molded into a particular narrative for public consumption? Through the authors' insightful exploration, educators and citizens alike may better identify how influential entities and agendas shape curricula behind the scenes. The authors hope that the light they bring to bear on this topic will equip readers to conduct their own analysis and to be more aware and constructively critical of our K-12 educational system."--Cover Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-20 Methodology....Pages 21-28 Elementary Education....Pages 29-54 Middle School....Pages 55-68 High School....Pages 69-79 Conclusion....Pages 81-84 Back Matter....Pages 85-100