Resistance in Paradise: Rethinking 100 Years of U.S. Involvement in the Caribbean and the Pacific [Paperback]

Deborah Wei (Author), Rachael Kamel (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

The curriculum materials presented in this guide explore the legacy of the Spanish-American War from a distinct point of view: that of the island nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific, nations whose destiny has been framed for centuries by the tension between foreign domination and the quest for independence. For these peoples, the war lives on, underlying profound questions of culture, society, and language, as well as political and economic issues. Among the vanquished, history is not forgotten.

This guide opens with an introductory chapter, addressed mainly to teachers, that examines the events of 1898 and their aftermath. Student lessons at the end of the chapter explore general themes regarding the role of interpretation in history.

The remainder of the book is dedicated to chapters on each of the countries that came under U.S. rule in this period. Each of the country-specific chapters includes a brief historical overview followed by a series of lessons, including suggested activities and corresponding handouts for students. Both the overviews and the handouts are written to be accessible to students at the secondary level. Terms that may be unfamiliar are signaled in each chapter overview and in each lesson, and are defined in a glossary at the back of the guide.

Student readings include a wealth of primary sources: newspaper articles and political cartoons from the time of the Spanish-American War, historical documents, personal testimonies, and more. Also included are a broad range of contemporary pieces, both fiction and nonfiction. The overall approach is multidisciplinary; many of the materials and activities included here can be used for classes in history, social studies or English, the suggested activities include role plays, debates, writing exercises, classroom discussions, and the creation of stories, poems or cartoons, among others.

Many of the lessons included here engage students in developing their own critical readings, whether of historical narratives, media representations, or policy debates. By listening to the voices that have mainly been left out of the historical record, students can learn to understand how our vision of history and of the world we live in is reshaped according to who is looking and who is being seen.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In the summer of 1996, staff and volunteers of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) met to plan how to strengthen the organization's work with Asian and Pacific Islander communities, both in the United States and in their countries of origin. Those present at the meeting were well aware that the year 1998 would mark the hundred-year anniversary of the emergence of the United States as a global power, holding sway over territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific, far beyond the North American continent.

In a few short months in 1898, in what is known as the Spanish-American War, the United States replaced Spain as the ruling power in the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Hawai'i and American Samoa were annexed by the United States in the same year. Within AFSC, the discussion of the significance of the centennial of these events led to a vision of creating this curriculum guide. From the outset, the aim of the guide was to help students and teachers in the United States understand how this history, and its enduring impact, is perceived from the vantage point of these island nations.

As with other AFSC efforts, a paramount concern was that the story should be told mainly by members of the affected communities. Among the more than two dozen authors of this volume are many whose lives have been shaped by the history they relate, whether as immigrants, as political exiles, as activists fighting for the sovereignty of their homelands - or as all three. They have joined together for this project, along with a multiracial group of educators and activists, in a collaborative writing team that defined the format and content of the guide and prepared the individual chapters.

Through the collective vision and sustained efforts of this team, this book has become a reality. Many of the writers featured here have never met each other personally. Belief in the common goal of breaking silences, of giving voice to perspectives that are often neglected in mainstream U.S. education, has carried this project forward to completion.

From the Back Cover

"A major contribution in an attempt to have teachers and students rethink the causes and consequences of the Spanish-American War. Our histories were all profoundly changed by the expansion taking place 100 years ago. The AFSC is to be congratulated for this most interesting and informative publication." -- Franklin Odo, Counselor to the Provost, Smithsonian Institution

"An excellent publication. It gives valuable insights which enable teachers and students to have a better understanding of complex situations. It has the merit of providing fresh perspectives which challenge orthodox or traditional views." -- Dennis Brutus, Department of Africana Studies, University of Pittsburgh

"A lively guide to engaging students in the history and impact of American rule in the Pacific and the Caribbean, still sending out its ripple effects in the lives of ordinary people at the end of the twentieth century. This is history at its most nuanced, relevant and participatory." -- Cynthia Enloe, author, Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics

"I hope Resistance in Paradise will be used widely in schools all over the country. It is a unique and valuable educational tool and will do much to fill the gaps in our historical education." -- Howard Zinn, author, A People's History of the United States

"Resistance in Paradise is a good current resource and research tool about the Spanish-American War. It is a good information tool that can be used for high school students, educators, Young Adult librarians and history majors." -- Deborah Burns, Children's Librarian, Chicago Public Library, Bessie Coleman Branch

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: American Friends Service Committee (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910082332
• ISBN-13: 978-0910082334
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)