History Lessons

This is an article I wrote five years ago before visitng the UK shortly after their subway bombings

History Lessons

I have always loved history, even when I discovered it had often lied to me. Today, as a teacher who is somewhat responsible for the education of scores of learners, I often grapple with the dilemma of sharing my passion for the subject while simultaneously promoting its majesty, utility, and duplicity. Fortunately, I have discovered a holistic perspective that neither blindly worships history nor indicts it as a by-product of hegemonic Euro-American propaganda. This perspective is included in James A. Banks’ Curriculum Transformation Model, and it is a wonderfully responsible approach to the histories that unite us all.
Traditionally, it can be sure, history has been written and presented largely through a Male, Euro-American perspective (often referred to as the Mainstream Perspective) that often ignores the voices and contributions of members from other non-dominant groups. The writing has been flat and matter-of-fact, often affirming concepts, thoughts, facts, and ideas that are unverifiable. If you pick up an old textbook and read about Christopher Columbus, you might swear that God had written it – being that it was so definite, unambiguous, decisive, unanimous, and clear. Who else has privy to that level of certainty?
In an effort to combat this one-sided view of the world, many politicians and educators have moved to what Banks might call the “Ethnic Additive Approach” (sometimes labeled “Heroes and Holidays”). *Warning – what follows is very controversial and evocative; proceed at your own risk! Banks thinks this is a mistake. Imagine a 7th grade class that is studying Biology and must wait until February to discuss the contributions of George Washington Carver, despite the natural ebb and flow of the curriculum (perhaps they had been focusing on agricultural biology in November). As attractive as things like African-American Month and National Women’s Day are, they might be simple acts of placation by a larger, less sensitive society. Instead of tacking on a section in the Psych book called “Famous Women in Psychology”, why not integrate their contributions into the appropriate sections of the book?
To be fair, I think Banks would agree that a move to the Ethnic Additive Approach seems logical and is well-intentioned. It would be preferable, though, to move to the next level, a “Multi-Ethnic Approach” (sometimes called “Integration”). At this level, the voices and contributions of all stake-holding groups are integrated in to the curriculum appropriately. A teacher presenting a lesson about the Gulf War would examine all the perspectives of all the significant groups involved (and yes, that of Suddam Hussein and the Iraqi people). This presents two types of problems for educators and learners: 1) It may be difficult to round up all those perspectives, and 2) We may have to expose ourselves to some “dangerous” information. The fruits of such exercise can only increase our appreciation for diversity and sharpen our critical thinking skills.
Finally, we come to view history as the intricate interaction of Nations of various entities (the “Multi-National Approach”) where we come to realize that every nation, every community is a complex formation of varied perspectives, experiences, and goals. We would no longer have the privilege of growing up believing there was something called a “Russian” who had no personality, no unique identity, just a mindless cog in a uniform society. How wrong we realized we were when the veil finally lifted from that society and we saw its true diversity! As tragically as it often played out, we came to know that it meant many different things to many different people to be a “Russian.”
For me, the primary lesson I have learned from James A. Banks is that of perspective-taking. Learning to listen to the perspectives of others and to work to understand and accept them (maybe not to agree with them however) has helped me reach and motivate groups of people that were previously unavailable. And despite all of this “tolerance” I have still maintained my ethical systems (though somewhat evolved now) and I haven’t lost myself in a sea of cultural relativity. If anything, this process has strengthened my thought processes and my identity as a responsible citizen in a larger world.

Citation: Banks, J. A. (1997) 6th edition. Teaching strategies for ethnic studies. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.