Sociology 2
The Myth of the Melting Pot and Master Narratives
Discussion Board 1.3: This discussion board has two threaded discussions. Choose one and write a semi-formal response with a thesis statement, evidence, and significance explained clearly. Then, students must respond to any instructor feedback and post on at one or two other student’s discussion board. There is no word count as students have different writing styles and but you need to demonstrate knowledge of the concepts and readings. All posts must include analysis and reference any course readings. Grading: review Discussion Board rubric.
Q. 1 - The Myth of the Melting Pot
Early discussions of a multicultural America posited that the various ethnic groups existing in the U.S. would all blend together and become a "melting pot" of cultural backgrounds which together represent a new American culture. Based on materials from Week 1, including the documentary The Shadow of Hate, why is the concept of the melting pot a myth? Why has it been important in the telling of US history? In your answer, make sure to use course concepts like assimilation, cultural pluralism, and ethnic identity, and discuss the more contemporary ideas (and metaphors) offered to replace the concept of the melting pot.
Q. 2 – Master narratives are potent stories, which most people accept without question. Master narratives not only tell us what we should believe; they tell us what to ignore. A master narrative will obfuscate the historical context in which an event occurs, as well as the complex of global relations which shape the immediate site where something happens.
For example, Takaki explains that the Irish people suffered terribly under British imperialism. Even before the potato famine, they had been hungry for a long time. The island nation had rich soil and the people produced a wide variety of food, but those who produced this food starved as the produce was shipped off to England to feed others. The "master narrative" thus obfuscates the role of British imperialism in the emigration of Irish during the 19th century and instead blames the potato famine. Takaki looks at the potato famine historically through the perspectives of the people whose voices are silenced in and by the master narrative. His powerful historical accounting amends history and for example illuminates what might have been seen through the eyes of Irish women in the 19th century.
For this question, consider the following in your answer:
- What is revealed when we look at the history of the potato famine historically and through the experiences of many different groups of people?
- What is a comparative multicultural approach?
- Why is it important to take a comparative multicultural approach to history?
- What examples, apart from that of the Irish, stand out in the documentary The Shadow of Hate.
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