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I was never very interested in Asian history growing up. After all, I lived in an area without a very large Asian community. There are some Asian populations in almost any city in the United States, but some of them are more sizable than others. In the school I grew up in, there were only a few Asian kids. Until we get a unit on Asian American history, in fact, I didn't really think very much about them as a culture. I was more or less unaware of their separate and unique identity.
Although there is a lot about the treatment of minorities taught in American history classes, Asian American history has often been ignored up until now. It is no wonder – it isn't pretty. Asian history in this country is marked by chronic racism and abuse. From the Chinese exclusion act all the way up through Japanese interment camps in World War II, we have definitely taken a pretty uniform and negative attitude towards Asian Americans. This is in spite of the notable contribution that Asians have made in such diverse areas as science, the arts, entertainment, and sports.
As interesting – and sometimes disturbing – as it was to find out about Asian American history, finding out about the history of Asia was even more fascinating. Asian history is rich and diverse. Asian cultures have had continuous written records for thousands of years, and in those years they have created some of the most sophisticated societies the world has ever known. The printing press, gunpowder, And countless other contributions come out of Asia, yet the region has its downside as well. The violence between the different Asian countries has been some of the worst in the world, with the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and many other peoples participating in brutal slaughters of each other over the years. Like European history, Asian history is often not pretty.
Although in some ways I was let down by not learning about Asian history growing up, in some ways it has been a boon. It is really exciting to discover a fresh part of world history that I had no knowledge of when growing up. It gives make something completely new to think about, and allows me to see with fresh eyes. If I had learned it as a routine part of my education, I might not have had this opportunity. It is always amazing to be able to see the story of a people with new eyes.
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