Colonialism, oppression, racism … California is the first American state to make compulsory the ethnic studies for obtaining a secondary school leaving diploma, by 2030. In some high schools, classes have already started. Report in two classes in Los Angeles.
What is stand colonization? Talaya Poindexter and her classmates consider the question posed. “It is when a group of people go to the country or territory of another group, and replace their beliefs, traditions and culture with their own”, explains Talaya. The other three students in his work group nod.
Days earlier, these high school students had watched videos and perused articles about the country’s indigenous population – including how many sports team mascots draw inspiration from their culture.
The day before, Talaya said, she read an article which explained that the US government had removed Indigenous children from their families and forcibly placed them in white homes.
“It’s overwhelming – you rarely learn it in normal history lessons”, she regrets.
The five faces of oppression
But this is not a normal history lesson. This is an example of what awaits all Californian high school students who, from 2030, will have to have taken an ethnic studies course in order to obtain their high school diploma.
Talaya’s class discusses how identity can be defined by racial and ethnic origin; she learns to think about the five faces of oppression[théorisés par la philosophe américaine Iris Marion Young, 1949-2006]; she discovers the existence of several resistance movements, such as the fight for the high schools of Tucson [en Arizona] offer courses in Mexican-American studies; she delves into texts on Native American populations who once felt at home in California.
At a time when schools across the country are the subject and scene of heated debates about the teaching of history and race issues – and when at least twelve states have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, pass laws to curb speeches on these issues – California is moving full steam ahead in the opposite direction: it is the first state to make high school ethnic studies compulsory.
The goal is to help young Americans understand the historical and current struggles of marginalized groups – Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and others. And to encourage them to embrace a broader view of history, considering the perspectives of other groups and cultures.
State law allows different school districts to tailor their courses to their communities. For example, schools in eastern Los Angeles County will be able to explore the Chicano movement in depth.[terme désignant les Américains d’origine mexicaine]; while the Glendale establishments [dans le nord de Los Angeles] can focus more particularly on Armenian immigration.
“Critical Theory of Race”
But these study courses
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Melissa Gomez
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