The scholarly narratives comprising the ethnic studies project take into the multidimensional worlds of diverse ethnic communities both in the United State and abroad. Using the conceptual, analytical and experiential lenses of ethnic studies scholars we are presented opportunities for learning more about the multifarious experiences of ethnic groups

Scott, Otis L.

English

VCU Scholars Compass

EDITOR' S NOTE The scholarly narratives compris ing the ethn ic  stud ies project take i nto the mu lt id imensional worlds of d iverse ethn ic  commun ities both i n  the Un ited State and abroad. Us ing the conceptual, analytical and exper iential lenses of ethn ic  stud ies scholars we are presented opportun ities for learn ing more about the mu lt ifarious experiences of ethn ic  groups. Whi le we are cha l lenged to subject both the lenses and the narratives to scholarly scrutiny, we are a lso chal lenged to be opened to the prospects and poss ib i l it ies of new learn ing which comes from different perspectives, views, and i nterpretations. I t  i s  through the tension of the dynamic  of scholarly exchange that we are brought closer to an accu rate understanding of the complexities of the human experiences central to the scholar's narration . The art icles i n  th is issue of ESR conti nue the trend long estab l ished in  th is jou rnal . Namely, us ing the tools of i nterdiscip l i narity to explore, represent, and i n  effect, further the d idactic m iss ion of ESR. Towards th is end, each piece makes a worthwh i le contribut ion. Ph i l ip Q. Yang and Starl ita Sm ith i n  the art ic le, "Trends i n  B lack­Wh ite Church I ntegration" provide a contemporary analysis of data demonstrat ing that 1 1  o'c lock on Sunday morni ngs i l l ustrates the extent to which patterns of B lack-White segregation cont inues in the Un ited States .  Dina Fach in 's " I ns ide the I mage and the Word: the Re/Membering of I nd igenous I dentities" argues that ind igenous peoples in  the Americas, drawing from ancient writi ng systems and more contemporary visual technologies, are able to represent thei r  own identities and in doing so offer crit iques of western representations of ind igenous cultures. Quan Manh Ha's art ic le "Trey E l l i s's Platitudes: Redef in ing B lack Voices" chal lenges African American authors to adopt a more authentic and re levant Afr ican American aesthet ic for writi ng post 1 980's fict ion. This art ic le asserts that attend ing to the messages of the Harlem Renaissance and the 1 960s B lack Arts Movement are essential to forming an authentic voice that does not repeat weary p latitudes. In "Sacred Hoop Dreams: Basketbal l  i n  the Work of Sherman Alexie," David S .  Goldste in  provides an analysis of how Native American writer Sherman Alexie uses both the sport of basketbal l  and the bal l  as l iterary tools for analyzing and commenting on the complexities of the l ives of the Native Americans i n  Alexie's short stories and novels .  A path towards pol it ical trends i s  taken i n  the last two articles. Ravi Perry's art ic le "B lack Mayors in  Non-Majority B lack (Med ium Sized) Cities: Un iversal iz ing the I nterests of  B lacks" is a research based study of the several chal lenges faci ng both candidates and incumbents i n  cit ies where the B lack electoral base is sma l l  and in some cases d im in ish ing. This article i s  based on a paper selected by the National Association for Ethn ic Stud ies for the Ph i l l i ps G .  Davies Award for the top graduate paper. "Ethn ic Pol itics, Pol it ical Corruption and Poverty: Perspectives on Contending I ssues and N igeria's Democratization Process," authored by Dewale Adewale Yagboyaju, explores the several i ssues negatively impacti ng N igeria's abi l ity to create a democratic society. The author holds leadersh ip at a l l  levels responsib le for the prevai l i ng corruption and poverty i n  th is  nation and suggests strategies for implementi ng processes for democratization . Col lectively these thought provoking articles shou ld prompt much reflect ion. Otis L .  Scott Cal iforn ia State Un iversity, Sacramento i i  

Editor\u27s Notes

The articles in this issue, while diverse in subject matter, focus, and voice, draw our attention to the rich interdisciplinary perspectives framing scholarly excursions into the realm of ethnic studies. The contributing authors of these seven articles draw our attention to how the constructs of human culture be it art, cultural formations, cultural products, or policies and practices can and do inform us about how people interpret, reproduce life and represent living. With some attention we also learn about how a people navigate through the place or places where they find themselves and how they are affected by and affect the societies within they live

EDITOR'S NOTES The artic les i n  th is  issue, wh i l e  d iverse i n  subject matter, focus, and voice, d raw our  attention to the r ich i nterdiscip l i nary perspectives fram i ng scholar ly excurs ions i nto the rea l m  of ethn ic  stud ies. The contr ibut i ng authors of  these seven artic les d raw our  attention to how the constructs of  human cu l ture be it art, cu ltu ra l  formations, cu ltu ra l  products, or pol ic ies and practices can and do i nform us about how people i nterpret, reproduce l i fe and represent l ivi ng. With some attention we also learn about' how a people navigate through the p lace or p laces where they f ind themselves and how they are affected by and affect the societies with i n  they l ive. Sue J, K im's artic le "The Dia lectics of 'Orienta l "  I mages i n  American Trade Cards" explores how contrad ictory themes shapi ng images of Asian immigrants in the late 1 9th and early 20th centu ry U n ited States were i nfl uenced by images of Asians on popular  postcard s ize advertisements conta i n i ng images of people of Asian descent i n  the U n ited States, The artic le "Use of M u lt ip le Methods :  An Exami nation of Constra i nts Effecti ng Ethn ic  M i nority Vis itor Use of National  Parks and Management Imp l i cations" co authored by N i na S .  Roberts and Donald A Rodr iguez, provides an i nteresti ng study of how ethn ic ity shapes se l f  perceptions of both vis itors and non vis i tors, e,g., national  park service employee. There are i nteresti ng pol i cy imp l ications for park offic ia ls  i n  th is  artic le .  Also there are i nstructive lessons for potentia l  users regardi ng self imposed constrai nts which l im i t  nat ional  park vis i tations as a poss ib le sou rce recreation .  Rosanne Kanha i 's "F i re in de Cane : Metaphors of I ndo Tri n idad ian Identify i n  Ramabai Esp inet's The Swin gin g Bridge" explores the h i stor ical ,  cu l tu ra l  and socia l  factors shaping the identity of people of I nd ian ancestry in the Car ibbean, but particu lar ly those res id ing on the is land of Tri n idad . D rawing from the  work of  Ramabai Esp inet, Professor Kan ha i  explores how the author's metaphors, e.g. "swi ngi ng br idge" serve to t ie together the h i stories of people from India with those of i nd igenous people on Tri n idad and elsewhere. Tin the artic le " ( I n )  Vis ib le Fissu res and the 'Mu lt icu ltu ral' America n :  Interrupti ng Race, Ethn ic i ty, and I mperia l ism through TV's Survivor" Sarah Hentges offers an ana lysis of how th is  popu lar  televis ion "rea l i ty" program structu res nuanced and not so subt le themes re lati ng to identity formation, ethn icity, c lass, gender i nto a hyped vers ion of a mu lt icu ltu ra l  story l i ne. However, as the author expla i ns, the story l i ne bu i l t  around the relationsh ips of the contestants, ra ises more questions regard i ng structu red in eth n ic  and race d iscr imi nation than meets the eye of  the casual v iewer. Rei na ldo S i lva's "The Tastes from Portuga l :  Food as Remembrances in Portuguese American L iteratu re" exami nes how contemporary Portuguese American writers use food to convey important cu l tu ra l  messages. S i lva writes that references to food are devices by which the writer mai nta ins a connection to her/h is  her itage wh i l e  S imu ltaneously declar ing an identity. Farha Tern i kar's artic le "To Arrange or Not:  Marriage Trends i n  the South As ian American Com m u n ity" i s  a comparative study of how trad it ional forms of marriage among South Asian Americans i n  the greater Ch icago area are changing. The author asserts that changes i n  generat ional m ind  sets regard ing marriage along with the i nf luences of rel ig ion are givi ng rise to other forms of marriage. In the artic le "Are We Happy Yet? : Re-Eva luati ng the Eva l uation of I nd igenous Commun ity Development" Keri n Gould cha l lenges researchers, program heads and commun ity activ ists to reevaluate cla i ms of doing work on behalf of ind igenous people.  How do we know that comm u n ity projects he lp improve the welfare status of native commun it ies? This artic le cha l lenges al l  to re exami ne the epistemologies used to determ i ne what i s  progress and how is i t  determi ned . S im i lar ly th is  arti c le cha l lenges I nd igenous people to re exami ne the standards they employ for measuri ng progress and improvement. Col lectively, these art ic les wi l l  provoke much th i n ki ng and conversation;  th is  is  good.  Otis L .  Scott Cal iforn ia State U n iversity, Sacramento i i  

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1304&amp;context=esr

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