Holding Up the Mirror: The Complexity of Seeing Your Ethnic Self in History

Abstract

With the growing inclusion of multicultural curriculum in social studies, educators must understand the issues students of color face when learning about their ethnic history and culture. Using personal document analysis and phenomenological interviewing, this study explored six Filipino American college students' experiences with Pinoy Teach, a transformative multicultural curriculum focused on Philippine and Filipino American history and culture. Six themes emerged revealing the complex interplay among prior knowledge, ethnic identity, and a curriculum about one's self. Students experienced connections, collisions, decolonization, and empowerment from Pinoy Teach. Connections resulted when Pinoy Teach filled gaps in participants' prior knowledge; however, collisions occurred when their prior knowledge of a colonized history clashed with Pinoy Teach's transformative narrative. Pinoy Teach also problematized students' conceptions of ethnic identity and relationships with other Filipinos. Finally, participants were empowered from teaching their history, which showed the power of linking learning to social action. The author shares several lessons for educators when implementing multicultural curriculum in social studies.