"Theorizing U.S. National Identity through Multicultural Texts,"
	Theorizing United States Identity Through Postcolonial Critical Analysis of Multicultural Texts - Mel Sanchez, Santa Ana High School
	In studying the theory of United States identity through multicultural texts, one more approach came to light that I will use in my courses and that can be applicable to courses in a variety of disciplines. Postcolonial studies allow the reader to look at literature through a very significant perspective. Postcolonial critical theory can generally be defined as studying the interactions between colonizing (European and the United States) nations and the societies they colonized (African, Asian and American continents) in the modern period. However, this definition has been expanded to include the articulation of the bridge between the critical study of colonial discourse and the study of the continuing effects of colonialism and the possibilities of independence in previously colonized societies. What nations and societies should be included in this mix? As this question is addressed, one needs to become aware of what aspects of a society are affected by the economic interactions between the two parties. It is crucial to know how race, class, gender language and culture are affected and what the residual consequences are. The effects of postcolonialism are global occurrences, as evidenced by African wars, Latin American revolts and economic upheavals and minority demands for equal rights and for the economic reimbursements in the United States. Postcolonial effects is a topic that needs to be examined and discussed by teachers and students starting at the elementary grades through the secondary level. In my second year course of Spanish for Spanish Speakers, we study the Mexican Revolution, feminism and Pre-colombian studies through essays, short stories, videos, poetry and novels. Writers describe their societies and the treatment of women. Some go beyond feminism to take a look at the treatment of the disenfranchised in regard to race, class and gender. We study a variety of genres of literature that critique the role of former colonial powers in subjugating underdeveloped nations in relationship to the use of race, class, gender, and/or culture for dominance, either actual or as a vestige. A postcolonial approach to literature can enhance the study of feminist issues by looking at how colonial powers and their progenitors have employed race, class and gender to economically enslave and exploit groups of people. A postcolonial approach to literary criticism has its benefits and can be employed at different levels of education from the primary grades though high school. It can also be used across disciplines. Although this curriculum unit demonstrates the use of postcolonial studies for a Spanish for Spanish Speakers course at the high school level, other disciplines such as social studies, language arts in a variety of languages, and other courses can make use of postcolonialism, so that students will have different perspectives of the world they perceive. Perhaps, other projects can explore a postcolonial discussion with other texts in other disciplines.