Multicultural curriculum and critical family history

Abstract

Family history research connects very well with multicultural curriculum because it opens up the multiple experiences of members and communities of a society, as well as helping to make visible the historic construction and ongoing legacy of unequal relationships. The author of this article began to play with what she later called “critical family history,” while simultaneously teaching a course on Multicultural Curriculum Design and researching her own family history. However, it wasn’t until years later that she was able to include critical family history within a multicultural education course. In this article, after discussing various ways in which people approach family history research, the author offers three theoretical lenses for critical family history, then two sets of tools to guide research. Then she discusses her experience teaching a multicultural curriculum course for teachers that included critical family history. She concludes by proposing critical family history as a highly useful tool for deepening the practice of multicultural education in classrooms.

Keywords:

• family history
• genealogy
• race relations
• multicultural curriculum

Notes

1. Although Critical Race Theory originated in the U.S., it is being applied increasingly to analyze race and racism in other countries. From members of dominant groups in many countries, Critical Race Theory may seem irrelevant, but members of subordinate groups may well find it useful.