Patrick Abdon SS1, Week 3

In “Precariously Positioned” Shannon Deloso writes about her fight for ethnic studies. What I got from reading her essay is that university administrations want to seem like they are working for the student’s best interests but with the rise of the corporatization of the classroom, it seems more like a cover up for their own self interests. And when confronted with that notion, they will try to silence the critics or deflect it to somewhere else. Deloso experiences this firsthand when a town hall meeting, known as a place to air out grievances, becomes a laughing ground for administrators to discourage students. Throughout her whole essay she presents numerous barriers that try to deny her case. What that tells me is that opposition from the administration only rises when it’s opposed to them. They would rather have us be silent on these types of issues. That’s why it’s on us as students (and faculty) to not only force them to do their jobs but also make it be known that we will not be bullied around for their own interests. 

Now even if ethnic studies is established within a university, the curriculum has to be accurate and representative of the ethnicity that is being taught. The essay “Hmong Does Not Mean Free” shows how misrepresentation of a culture can be misconstrued in a way that is damaging to an identity. To know someone’s heritage, you must know their culture and history. If either are represented in the wrong way then that person’s heritage can be wrongly stereotyped. Unfortunately U.S. education seems to prioritize the greatness of America. Therefore anything else is sort of like background/supplemental information. For example the only reason why Vietnam War is mentioned within the California curriculum is so that students could “analyze U.S. foreign policy since WWII,” in order to “trace the origins and geopolitical consequences of the Cold War and containment policy.” It neglects not only the Vietnamese people but also the Hmongs in the Secret Wars within it. This “empty space of history” leaves a lot for the readers to interpret a group of people. 

Question: How is American history taught in other countries? And how are we perceived by it? 

Deloso, S. (n.d.). Precariously Positioned: Asian American Women Students' Negotiating Power in        Academia. 165-188.

Mouavangsou, K. N. (n.d.). Hmong Does Not Free: The Miseducation of and by Hmong Americans.      189-218.

https://www.mnvietnam.org/story/the-cia-the-hmong-and-the-secret-war/