Analytical Paper on Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America

Analytical Paper on Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America

Introduction

Ronald Takaki begins another classical masterpiece book with the statement that "race was a social construction that has historically separated by racial minorities from European immigrant groups." He goes on to say that this design does not accurately reflect "a rich and complex mosaic" of American diversity. Draft of his book, reflects more authentically multicultural, multiracial and multiethnic American character. Exhaustively detailed history, the other mirror is an essential primer for anyone interested in American history and its profoundly multicultural character.

Analysis

Takaki begins with the "discovery" of America and runs through the Second World War, devoted a chapter of each section to the different experiences of American Indians, African Americans, Mexican, Jewish, Chinese and Japanese. Each section reflects carefully on the intertextuality of the individual stories, and each chapter points to the overall differences as well as overlapping coalitions, and sharing of experiences of different groups. For example, he notes that after the Civil War, many Southern plantation owners attempted to replace African-American working with the Chinese, whom they believed could teach black workers are more hardworking. In addition, he notes that the Mexican and Japanese workers slapped together in California in 1903, which makes the general perception of racial competition. In fact, the main motive of the project Takaki seems to confound the stereotypes and historical accounts that emphasize the violence and tension, rather than the coalition and exchange. Takaki does not ignore the more contentious aspects of multiculturalism, but it shows that they are only a part of American history.

This is a great multi-cultural account of American history. Takaki is devoted to the prospects of many different cultural groups, providing several interesting, unique and sometimes sobering stories of American history. After reading this book, you may find yourself feeling cheated by your assessment of the lessons high school history. This work is fair, honest, and * very * well documented, with an end-links on almost every page.

At the same time, the breadth of the book Takaki_s necessarily lead to a decrease in depth, in particular, the analysis of deeper cross-cultural, transracial issues. When he presents an example of Chinese / Black labor situation in the South, he did not unpack the duality of the historical moment. Racist intentions of southern plantation owners had been undermined by his determination to racially mix their labor. Such moments point to the effect that such conversion of hybridity may eventually effect. In other words, if the social construction of race, then America_s history should be evaluated as a transracial, as well as multiracial. Takaki offers these transracial moments, usually with examples from the coalition, but he does not often push the discussion past the notion of cooperation.

I do not believe, Takaki has a score to settle with this book. And I do not believe he is racist or too * slant, but I can see how some might feel ...