Multicultural Education, Immigration, and the Culture Wars

• The new wave of immigration to the United States occurred at the same time that Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, African Americans were demanding a place for their cultures in public school curriculum.
• The Multiculturalism movement renewed the culture wars.
• Opponents of multiculturalism argued that public school should emphasize a single culture traditional Anglo-American culture.
• This was influenced by the civil rights movement in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries.
• 1965 Immigration Act eliminated the blatantly racist and ethnocentric aspects of the 1924 Immigration Act.
•  Immigration increased by the 1980s the top five sources of immigration were Mexico, Vietnam, The Philippines, Korea, and China-Taiwan
• Original leaders of the multicultural movement in the 1980s&1990s James Banks, Christine Sleeter, Carl Grant were concerned with empowering oppressed people by integrating the history and culture of dominated groups into public school curricula and textbooks. They wanted to reduce prejudice, eliminate sexism and equalize educational opportunities.
• The history of Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans history would serve the dual purpose of building self-esteem and empowerment. Included in this would be women and people with disabilities would be a part of histories and stories in textbooks.
• The African American leader Molefi Asante demanded Afrocentric school’s focus on the history and culture of a specific group and teach from a particular cultural perspective
• In the 1990s public school districts in Miami, Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee and New York considered plans for Afrocentric schools
• African American culture evolved in the context of slavery and later forms of segregation and racism, which developed a distrust and suspicion about the white Anglo-American protestant tradition.
•  Teaching from Afrocentric, Native American centered, Mexican American centered, and Puerto Rican centered perspectives creates a view of the world different from that of a white Anglo-American Protestant culture.
• During the 1980s&1990s there was a sharp reaction against multicultural education and the ethnocentric education advocated by dominated groups.
• The culture wars of the late 20^th centuries were to make English the only language of instruction and promote Anglo American Protestant culture to unify language & culture of the U.S.
• The Anglo-American culture was the dominant culture of the U.S. came from that sense of superiority, which was seriously challenged, by the civil right movement and the new immigration.
• Many multicultural educators felt that simple integration of cultural studies into textbooks and the curriculum was not enough.

Liberating the Textbook Town Housewife for more Consumption

• Images of women in textbooks changed from being dependent housewives to portray women in roles of personal freedom outside the home.
• The1966 National Organization for Women emphasized that public schools were the key to women’s effective participation in today’s economy.
• The media responsed with movies and t.v.shows depicting women as professional’s workers. These shows also began to portray single women and divorced women.
• New feminist images were used by Maidenform bra ads showing political buttons on women’s chests. The ad headline read, ”Isn’t it great when a woman’s mind gets as much support as her body.”
• Products that have been marketed with dependent and submissive female images were now changing their images in order to target independent women.

   Multicultural Education, Immigration, and the Culture Wars

• The new wave of immigration to the United States occurred at the same time that Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, African Americans were demanding a place for their cultures in public school curriculum.
• Multiculturalism movement renewed the culture wars.
• Opponents of multiculturalism argued that public school should emphasize a single culture traditional Anglo-American culture.
• This was influenced by the civil rights movement in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries.
• 1965 Immigration Act eliminated the blatantly racist and ethnocentric aspects of the 1924 Immigration Act.
•  Immigration increased by the 1980s the top five sources of immigration were Mexico, Vietnam, The Philippines, Korea, China-Taiwan
• Original leaders of the multicultural movement in the 1980s&1990s James Banks, by integrating the history and culture of dominated groups into public school curricula and textbooks the wanted to reduce prejudice, eliminate sexism and equalize educational opportunities.
• Mexican Americans, African Americans, Puerto Ricans history would serve the dual purpose of building self-esteem and empowerment including the women and people with disabilities would be a part of histories and stories in textbooks.Christine Sleeter, Carl Grant were concerned with empowering oppressed people
• African American leader Molefi Asante demanded ethnocentric school to focus on the history and culture of a specific group and teach from a particular cultural perspective
• 1990s public school districts in Miami, Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee and New York considered plans for afrocentric schools
• African American culture evolved in the context of slavery and later forms of segregation and racism which developed a distrust and suspicion about the white Anglo-American protestant tradition.
•  Teaching from Afrocentric Native American centered Mexican American centered Puerto Rican centered perspective creates view of the world different from that of a white Anglo-American Protestant culture.
• During the 1980s&1990s there was a sharp reaction against multicultural education and the ethnocentric education advocated by dominated groups.
• The culture wars of the late 20^th centuries old effort to make English and Anglo American Protestant culture unifying language & culture of the U.S.
• Anglo-American culture the dominant culture of the U.S. came from that sense of superiority, which was seriously challenged, by the civil right movement and the new immigration.
• Many multicultural educators felt that simple integration of cultural studies into textbooks and the curriculum was not enough.

Liberating the Textbook Town Housewife for more Consumption

• Images of women in textbooks changed from being dependent housewives to portray personal freedom outside the home.
• 1966 National Organization for Women emphasized that public schools were the key to effective participation in today’s economy.
• The media response with movies and t.v. shows depicting women as professional’s workers and living as independent singles and divorced.
• New feminist images were used by Maidenform bra ads showing political buttons on women’s chests. The ad headline read, ”Isn’t it great when a woman’s mind gets as much support as her body.”
• Products marketed with dependent and submissive female images were now targeted to independent women.