http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/08/is-blackwomens-history-month-an-academic-waste/ Once You Read It You Can't Unread It Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:50:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/08/is-blackwomens-history-month-an-academic-waste/comment-page-1/#comment-18789 Claire Wed, 07 May 2008 17:03:12 +0000 http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/08/is-blackwomens-history-month-an-academic-waste/#comment-18789 Hmmm...here I was thinking we spent too much time on American history in school. I came to the US when I was in high school, and I remembering graduating & thinking if I had not had the distinct opportunity NOT to be educated largely in the US, I'd never know the rest of the world had HISTORY, too. Hmmm…here I was thinking we spent too much time on American history in school. I came to the US when I was in high school, and I remembering graduating & thinking if I had not had the distinct opportunity NOT to be educated largely in the US, I’d never know the rest of the world had HISTORY, too.

]]> http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/08/is-blackwomens-history-month-an-academic-waste/comment-page-1/#comment-308 Lisa Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:23:16 +0000 http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/08/is-blackwomens-history-month-an-academic-waste/#comment-308 i'm very glad these questions are being debated in university classes, because they need debate. and they need _informed_ debate--that is, people need to be informed about the history of their country if they are going to make their points and make them effectively. and, if we are going to be informed about the history of our country, we need to keep doing research and teaching the results of our findings. such as? such as the contributions of women and people of color to the FORMATION and GROWTH of our country. because, yes, there have been very very important contributions. but how are we going to find out what those have been if we just assume that the story we have always been told (white men are the only ones that made this country what it is today) is the true and real story? and how are people going to know about the complex history of our country if it keeps being presented old-style? i am very much in favor of a REVISION of how history is written, much more in favor of that than tacking on some lame additions ("okay, kids, we're taking a special day/week/month to look at some women/immigrants/african americans, because they did some stuff too, just not as important as what our Great White Forefathers did") to outdated history curricula. and we have to stop presenting history as if there is only one real history, but that probably won't happen because many students and their parents and administrators can't deal with having their notions of some kind of absolute, "true" and totalized history--one that can be known and grasped and embraced and wielded as "the truth of what happened"--they can't deal with having that notion called into question and/or dismantled. it fucks with their world views. but, if you want to generate some real debate and discussion--and yank a few peoples' chains--try putting that idea out there and see what happens. i’m very glad these questions are being debated in university classes, because they need debate. and they need _informed_ debate–that is, people need to be informed about the history of their country if they are going to make their points and make them effectively. and, if we are going to be informed about the history of our country, we need to keep doing research and teaching the results of our findings. such as? such as the contributions of women and people of color to the FORMATION and GROWTH of our country. because, yes, there have been very very important contributions. but how are we going to find out what those have been if we just assume that the story we have always been told (white men are the only ones that made this country what it is today) is the true and real story? and how are people going to know about the complex history of our country if it keeps being presented old-style? i am very much in favor of a REVISION of how history is written, much more in favor of that than tacking on some lame additions (“okay, kids, we’re taking a special day/week/month to look at some women/immigrants/african americans, because they did some stuff too, just not as important as what our Great White Forefathers did”) to outdated history curricula. and we have to stop presenting history as if there is only one real history, but that probably won’t happen because many students and their parents and administrators can’t deal with having their notions of some kind of absolute, “true” and totalized history–one that can be known and grasped and embraced and wielded as “the truth of what happened”–they can’t deal with having that notion called into question and/or dismantled. it fucks with their world views. but, if you want to generate some real debate and discussion–and yank a few peoples’ chains–try putting that idea out there and see what happens.

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