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"United States history cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the role of ethnic communities in the development of American society. Immigrants brought cultural patterns from their original societies and, as they established roots in America, they creatively adapted new life patterns and contributed to the growth of America. Our search for meaning comes out of an understanding of our past. It is in this way that we will be able to consciously develop a workable future in which we contribute and share as citizens of our nation " James A. Hirabayashi Teacher/Student Resource Guide, Introduction, for Japanese American National Museum National School Project Dec. 1996 |
Many insights about teaching global education can be gained from the exploration of the Japanese American experience. However, we must start with a firm understanding of this group's legacy and contribution to American history
One of the most persistent difficulties in teaching about Japanese Americans is the confusion between what is Japanese and what is Japanese American.
Japanese Americans have, from the moment the first immigrants stepped on U.S. soil, created a hybrid culture, adapting and transforming both Japanese and American culture. The Japanese American culture and perspective is quite unlike the Japanese culture and perspective. While this seems obvious, third, fourth and fifth generation Japanese Americans continue to be complemented on how well they speak English. Like all Asian Americans they are still viewed as "foreigners."
One of the goals of the Japanese American National Museum's National School Project is to help all Americans understand that Asian Americans are an integral part of this nation's heritage and social fabric.
However, it must be noted that US laws did not permit Asians to become naturalized citizens until 1952 with the passage of the McCarran-Walter Immigration and Naturalization Act. The consequence of this kind of thinking has led to Asians being viewed as "non-American" regardless of where they were born.
The above paragraphs point to very interesting aspects of teacher training programs presented by the Japanese American National Museum. One of the most important is the emphasis we put on perspective. Being aware of one's own perspective as well as the perspective of Japanese Americans is an important component of studying this portion of American history.
To be aware of, and in touch with, the perspectives we hold as educators is a first step. When beginning an examination of the Japanese American experience, we must be aware of how our own perspectives enter into the decisions we make about teaching this subject.
We should be ready to examine our own assumptions of the world, and how these assumptions might unfairly influence our world view. Understanding ourselves and our assumptions, and being aware of our own perspectives will help us to establish a world view that is more open and expansive instead of closed and narrow.
The mission of the Japanese American National Museum is to make known the Japanese American experience as an integral part of our nation's heritage in order to improve understanding and appreciation for America's ethnic and cultural diversity.
The Museum's National School Project seeks to provide educators throughout the nation, and internationally, with materials that express a Japanese American perspective in the context of a pluralistic society.
The work of the National School Project is an extension of the Museum's effort to weave the Japanese American experience into the larger American experience.
The Museum's educational process is designed to foster a questioning of beliefs we hold about ourselves and others in a safe and supportive environment. It is also designed to find points of intersection and to create bridges between individuals and communities.
We understand that culture building is a continuing process, and that understanding the past serves as a basis for future generations to build upon.
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"Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifact,- the essential core of culture consists of traditional (ie., historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values,- culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning influences upon further action." (Culture and Behavior: Collected Essays of Clyde Kluckhohn. Glencoe: Free Press, 1962.) |
What is culture? As teachers and students explore and examine the story of Japanese Americans in a pluralistic America, they should be able to identify the traditions, customs and values brought by these immigrants.
Students should be able to identify new cultural patterns encountered by immigrants, and how they adapted their own patterns and selectively adopted others.
Students will discover that the culture, identity, and history of any group in America is influenced by a mix of "home-country" values, American idealism, and an American sense of place.
The educational products developed by the Museum are closely aligned to historical themes and issues and center on the experiences of Americans of Japanese ancestry in a pluralistic America. Using these experiences as a case study, the educational components aim to deepen students' understanding of United States history through the story of a diverse people sharing common dreams, strengths,. and challenges.
The learning opportunities help students and teachers grapple with questions such as: What are the common characteristics of different cultures? How do belief systems, such as religion or political ideals, influence other parts of a culture? How does culture change to accommodate different ideas and beliefs? And what does language tell us about a culture?
These issues open up inquiry into the past, then broaden the inquiry to understanding the present, and to planning for a "workable future" in which everyone participates.
Students and teachers are challenged to examine their own perceptions and interpretations and to learn the role of "world views."
There is no single "correct" world view; various and different world views are the very nature of our society. The differences arise out of different historical experiences. The emphasis is not on learning a multitude of "facts" about different life styles, but on comparing and contrasting certain aspects of culture and understanding that are different interpretations of life experiences.
It is suggested that teachers and students think of the study of the Japanese American experience as an expedition, a journey.
The demand on teachers is not to assume the traditional role of authority and expert but to join students in exploring while modeling attitudes and behaviors about learning as a life-long pursuit.
Another challenging aspect of this study is relating the experience of Japanese Americans to one's own experiences, either as an individual or member of a group.
Lessons are presented in the context of a multicultural understanding of American culture and history. That is to say, the history of the United States is one that includes many groups of people, and each group has a story to tell.
For many years the stories told have excluded many groups. As the mission statement makes clear, it is the Museum's intention to teach the Japanese American experience in order to increase understanding and appreciation for this country's rich ethnic and cultural diversity. It is within this framework that the concepts of multicultural education reside.
While the focus of the educational materials developed by the Japanese American National Museum is on the Japanese American experience, teachers are urged to adapt them for use in studying the experiences of other groups.