Discussion post/ 2 replies

Settler Colonialism: Natives turned Outsiders, Foreigners bestowed Citizenship

Closing Lecture Remarks

Understanding settler colonialism as an ongoing structure rather than a past historical event serves as the basis for an historically grounded and inclusive analysis of race and gender formation in the U.S. From this perspective, we can understand how ethnocentrism, particularly Eurocentrism, led the way to the reinforcement of certain ideas over others concerning national identity and citizenship.

Takaki explains early in A Different Mirror that early European settlers conveniently labeled Native Americans as “savages” in order to justify European domination and indigenous extermination. Takaki also explained how former slaves were denied citizenship and, even after the 14th amendment, were denied the full rights and benefits that came with U.S. citizenship (i.e. free land, voting, unemployment, etc.).

Even so, “not all people who are white consciously embrace the white spatial imaginary, and not all whites profit equally from their whiteness” (Lipsitz 2007: 13). From our readings we learn the Irish and Russian faced many challenges being incorporated into American society and accepted as whites. Acknowledging, however, that the Irish and Russian were able to become white in America is important as this was not possible for Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans. Dr. Lipsitz reminds us about how the White Spatial Imaginary operates in favor of white identity when he writes, “all whites benefit from the association of whiteness with privilege and the neighborhood effects of spaces defined by their racial demography” (ibid). There is not only political power but also cultural and economic power gained from being white in the U.S. despite your status as citizen.

Now is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to utilize course concepts and incorporate case studies in producing knowledge through cultural criticism in writing.

Most unit lectures close with this same class discussion format. If you read and closely follow all the instructions for this class discussion, you should be able to do well here on out. I will be leaving you feedback and a grade for this assignment. It is important you review my feedback so you can address any issues in the next assignment.

I look forward to reading each of your posts and comments. Contact me ahead of time if you need an extension. I accept late posts but not late comments or self-reflections. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, doubts, or need additional assistance.

Saludos,
Professor Fuentes

Overview and Criteria

Post by Thursday,

The three (3) steps to complete this assignment are explained below in more detail, but here they are in a nutshell:

    1. Answer at least 2 question(s) or prompts.
    2. Incorporate at least 2 course concepts in your discussion.
    3. Leave 2 substantive/expansive comments.

There are two (2) dimensions that add up to the total points possible from this assignment.

  • Possible 25 Points = Your Post (Due Thursday)
  • Possible 10 Points = 2+ Comments (Due Saturday)

You’ll be graded on your ability to utilize course concepts to critically reflect on the unit’s lecture material. You must closely follow guidelines to earn maximum points.

Post Submissions

I only grade the first post left by each student. If you submit a second post, it will not be graded. I only grade the first attempt. All other attempts after the first post will be ignored and ungraded. Recommendation: Work on your post outside of Canvas and don’t submit it until it meets your standards for submission.

25 Points: Post Guidelines

Your post should be no less than 400 words in length.

Your post is worth up to 25 points. It should contain:

  • 4 pt: proper grammar. free of spelling errors, meets min. word count,
  • 4 pt: use proper in-text citations,
  • 6 pt: apply course concepts,
  • 6 pt: incorporate reading and/or lecture(s) material,
  • 5 pt: directly address all aspects of the prompt(s).

10 Points: Peer Comments

Each comment you leave is worth up to 5 points (depending on quality of post). Being nice and respectful is important, but it doesn’t get you all the points. Your comments need to be substantive and expand on the conversation or original post in a meaningful way.

Comments should contain at least one of the following:

  • Comments should provide new information about the original post (“substantive”).
  • Elaborate on a point made by the Poster or someone else on the thread (“expand”).

In other words, compliments and salutations do not count as satisfactory comments.

Pro Tips

What mistake will cost you the most points?

Use of in-text citations for all prompts is required. Every student should develop the habit of attributing information to sources in college-level writing. You can use either or style for in-text citations. An example of citing the book in your text is as follows: (Takaki 2008, p.33). An example of citing lectures in your text is as follows: (Fuentes, “Unit #: Name of Lecture.”). Both the green number and lecture title must be changed to the appropriate source for credit.

Continuing the Conversation

You have a voice; what’s your say?

Guidance: Select course concepts (2+) introduced in this unit to answer two (2) or more of the below question(s) or prompts according Dr. Fuentes’ lecture materials or Dr. Takaki’s A Different Mirror (2008). You can also incorporate your own personal experiences or recent events, but there has to be a clear connection to concepts and case studies.*

  1. What are ways that settler colonialism and ethnocentrism affect our understanding of American History?
  2. Discuss the concept “Exiles from Ireland” (Ch. 6).
  3. How is the White Spatial Imaginary normalized and accepted in society?
  4. Discuss the causes and effects of Exodus From Russia (Ch. 11).
  5. How did political models of citizenship reproduce racism, racial power, or eurocentrism?
  6. Discuss the American (ethnic) dilemma of WWII (Ch. 14).
  7. From your own lived experience, what is another example of ethnocentrism or White Spatial Imaginary?
  8. Add your own link to an IG post, tweet, or Tik Tok and explain how it is an example of White Spatial Imaginary or ethnocentrism; OR Write your own question and incorporate course concepts to explain the importance behind your question (and the value of the potential answer).