In his book, A Different Mirror, Ronald Takaki believes that most information about the past comes from white men. Martha Menchaca argues that historians have often written history from a white man’s perspective in her book Recovering History, Constructing Race. She also reasoned that many historians had misconstrued the concept of race and the concept of whiteness. Although they discuss the seclusion of minorities from history lessons and the role of historical trauma, they differ in that Takaki’s focus is on diverse groups of minorities, whereas Menchaca’s focus is on Mexican history.
American history textbooks usually contain a distinctly American viewpoint and value system. They mainly include images of white, affluent men and many references to people and events that are only mentioned in passing. Takaki (2008) explains that it is vital for diversity to be taught in schools so that learners can understand how America became a multinational country. Correspondingly, Menchaca noted that the history scholars categorized native inhabitants of Europe as Caucasians, neglecting the significance of the Mexican American’s racial history.
The writing of American history excluded significant aspects of the history of minorities. Takaki (2008) stated that “I believe our education system as a whole has not integrated the history of all people” (p16). Menchaca (2008) agrees that the dominant narrative about American history is that it was a nation of immigrants, built, and constructed by immigrants. “The recovery of the Mexican Americans’ prehistory has largely been neglected due to lack of interest on the part of mainstream archaeologists and anthropologists” (p14). Minorities are usually more interested in learning about their heritage because they do not learn enough in school. Multiculturism studies challenge the master narrative instilled in schools (Halford, 1998). It will uphold principles of equal opportunity and success.
Historical trauma refers to the lasting psychological damage that results from unresolved historical injustices. People who have endured historical trauma tend to feel the weight and the pressure of their past suffering, which causes them to internalize a victim mentality today. According to Takaki (2008), the enemy was not from outside but from within. The enslaved people at the plantation did not have much choice because if they continued harvesting, the white man would benefit economically, putting them at a political disadvantage. Menchaca examined the present-day controversies regarding the immigration issues between the US and Mexico and identified the impact of the US Civil war and the American Spanish War on the Mexicans. Historical trauma can result in various actions, such as isolation, aggression, and depression.
Latin America is composed mainly of white people, leading to ethnic biases such as unfair distribution of wealth, opportunity, and power. Menchaca used the concept of racialization to describe how the racial hierarchies denied the Mexicans of color the right to land ownership. Similarly, Takaki (2008) referred to Latin Americans as foreigners in their own Native Country. Mexican immigrant roots are traced back to the United States, although most are denied citizenship and voting rights. Racial segregation promoted discrimination among Indians and Mexicans, which led to internal conflicts (Menchaca, 1993). This meant that most Mexicans would experience powerlessness and vulnerability.
Mestizo is derived from the Spanish word for mixed, which describes the mixed race in Latin America with a mixed heritage of the European and the Indigenous group. Menchanta (2008) identifies the Mexicans as a community with a predominant Mestizo population where ancestry can be traced back to Latin American civilization. Ronald Takaki tells the story of his father’s upbringing in A Different Mirror. His father’s mother was half-European and half-American Indian. She was part of the second wave of immigrants from Mexico to the United States. His father was part American Indian and part European, but he was born in the United States.
References
Halford, J. M. (1998). A different mirror: A conversation with Ronald Takaki. Educational Leadership. Web.
Menchaca, M. (1993). Chicano Indianism: A historical account of racial repression in the United States. American Ethnologist, 20(3), 583–603. Web.
Menchaca, M. (2002). Recovering history, constructing race: The Indian, Black, and White roots of Mexican Americans (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano long series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture). University of Texas Press.
Takaki, R. T. (2008). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, and Company.