From our readings in ASTU, i have come to the realization of the existence of the marginalized communities we have discussed. I did not really think about these people prior to our class discussions and readings. It made me see how close these people are to us and the drastic differences between our lives. These cases that we learnt in ASTU widened my perspective towards this topic as I was never really aware of it.
The texts we read in class taught me a lot (in terms of knowledge and how to write using these texts). Missing Sarah gave me insight of the Downtown Eastside life of Vancouver (De Vries). Furthermore, our study on archival work really widened my perspective because I did not know a lot about Canadian history. For our group archives project, we had to do research, present it to the class, and we also decided to present at CAPCON. I found this assignment to be the most interesting one in the course because I learned new content about British Columbia specifically that I did not know. It is my first year in Canada and I came with not knowing anything about BC history. My group researched the archives about the Japanese-Canadian Research Collection. More specifically, we researched about the Japanese internment camps and their forced relocation (Sunahara). I found this really surprising because I had not heard about this significant historical event before. Despite enrolling in history classes throughout my elementary to high school career, I had not heard of such events. It was interesting to hear more about events that has happened in BC history, especially now that I am going to spend at least four years of my life in Vancouver. This event demonstrated to me the differences between Canada and Indonesia. I have discussed about how the Chinese were treated in 1990s Indonesia in my previous blog but to summarize, the Chinese were rioted against by the Indonesians and were not wanted (Glionna). Many of the Chinese people were killed, properties burnt, and belongings stolen. In comparison to the Japanese in Canada, the Chinese in Indonesia were treated on a much worse level. Although the Chinese living in Indonesia were not interned, they also lost some or most of their belongings and were the minorities.
It was really interesting to learn about events that happened outside the classroom incorporated to become assignments and stuff that we can actually learn more about. Instead of only focusing on the facts that happened, this course allowed me to learn extensively about the significance of these events and the various ways it has impacted today’s society. Although it was a challenging course, I have learned a lot of skills that I am positive that they will be beneficial in my future studies.
Works Cited:
De Vries, Maggie. Missing Sarah: A Memoir of Loss. Toronto: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.
Glionna, John M. “In Indonesia, 1998 Violence against Ethnic Chinese Remains Unaddressed.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 04 July 2010.
Sunahara, Ann. “4: Expulsion.” The Politics of Racism: Chapter 3: Expulsion. N.p., n.d.