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Copyright by Noreen Naseem Rodríguez 2017 Copyright by Noreen Naseem Rodríguez 2017 The Dissertation Committee for Noreen Naseem Rodríguez Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Hidden in History: Examining Asian American Elementary Teachers’ Enactment of Asian American History Committee: Cynthia (Cinthia) Salinas, Supervisor María Fránquiz Anthony Brown Katherina Payne North Cooc Thomas Philip Hidden in History: Examining Asian American Elementary Teachers’ Enactment of Asian American History by Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, B.A.; B.S. A.L.D.; M.Ed. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2017 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Mohammad and Ruth Villamayor Naseem, who always wanted me to become a doctor. You never specified what kind. I also dedicate this to my beloved daughters, Lucia and Sofia Rodríguez. Behind every paragraph and citation are memories of Lucia wanting a sticky note to write on and Sofia singing and knocking on my bedroom door late at night while I worked. Acknowledgements There are three individuals without whom I would not have returned to graduate school to complete my doctorate. First, my husband and partner in crime José Alejandro Rodríguez. Your emotional, parental, and financial support were everything. From taking over baths and bedtime routines to weekend trips so I could read and work without interruption, you have made this possible. You shouldered parental duties more times than I can count and rarely complained; in fact, after all those long days and nights you still found the time and energy to proofread my work and redesign my website. I could not ask for a more supportive spouse and father to our children. Second, Dean Fránquiz, you helped me connect teaching practice with research during Proyecto Maestría and kept me close to academia once I finished the program and returned to the classroom. You are my stork – extended amounts of time with you bring me beautiful babies! All along this road you had unwavering support in me as a mother-scholar and constantly pushed me to produce work that was my very best (because otherwise I was afraid to show it to you!). While you have impacted my life in many ways, one of the most signficant is that you introduced me to Cinthia Salinas, who has turned my world upside down for the last four years. Cinthia, where to begin – I cannot imagine a better champion and guide through the rollercoaster that is graduate school. You are tenacious yet kind, inspiring yet humble, brilliant but bawdy. You make academia seem like a party and work harder than anyone v I’ve ever met. You understand my love of research and writing for the purpose of improving education is equal to my desire to remain firmly grounded in public school classrooms and never asked me to stray from that. No matter how many things you were juggling, you always made time for a quick text or pep talk over butternut brownie pie. You pushed me harder than anyone ever has before and I’m a better scholar for it. The first time we presented together in 2012, you told me we were cut from the same cloth. While most of the time I deny it, it’s an honor to think that I might be half the scholar and mentor you have been to so many, particularly women of color. You have given me incredible opportunities and there are simply no words that adequately describe how much you have influenced me both personally and professionally. Mil gracias. Thank you to the all-star social studies professors who have supported my learning for the last four years. Dr. Anthony Brown, you pushed me to explore the rationale behind AsianCrit and helped me understand the depth of Critical Race Theory. Dr. Katherina Payne, you understood my positionality as an elementary teacher better than anyone and were always there if I needed to cry, vent, or ramble. Thank you for your encouragement and emotional (and Twizzler) generosity throughout the research and job search processes. Dr. LaGarrett King, even though we weren’t at UT at the same time, you still offered your time and wisdom over and over again. Thank you for supporting my work and for your generosity – you are an incredible early career scholar/parent and I want to be like you when I grow up! Dr. Christopher Busey, I'm glad we crossed paths late in my doctoral adventure. Dr. Linda Levstik, thank you for taking time to think through children's literature, historical fiction, and "crap history" as Cinthia and I worked vi through my data. It was truly an honor! Lastly, many thanks to Dr. Sherry Field. I appreciate your taking me under your wing this last year as I applied for jobs and tried to figure out how to connect my research to existing elementary social studies scholarship. This work would not have been possible without those individuals who guided my initial foray into Asian American history. Dr. Madeline Hsu was instrumental in my pursuit of the Asian American Graduate Portfolio and was profoundly helpful in my attempts to make Asian American history approachable for young learners and to make the case for its teaching in elementary schools. Dr. Valerie Pang was one of my earliest supporters and I appreciate the warm Austin Asian American academic community that quickly embraced and encouraged me, starting with Dr. North Cooc and Sona Shah at the Center for Asian American Studies, Zack Schlacter, and Drs. Snehal Shingavi, Madhavi Mallapragada, and Eric Tang. Esther Chung Martin and Phonshia Nie, I am so grateful we found each other! Your work deeply impacted my understanding of how stories help children understand diversity and local history and I hope we continue to collaborate! Dr. Thomas Philip, your writing was an early inspiration and I am honored that you were willing to serve on my committee. Drs. A. Lin Goodwin, Nicholas Hartlep, and Cheryl Matias were incredibly kind and gracious at AERA and it is always wonderful to see my pan-Asian posse of Sohyun An, Hanadi Shatara, and Natasha Hakimali Merchant at AERA and CUFA. You have made conferences an opportunity for me to connect with scholars who are not only like-minded but understand my particular struggles and hopes, and for that I am truly grateful. Juliet Lee, you have been such an important sounding board and I’m so fortunate that you found me at that poster presentation! vii Saba Vlach, you understood me and my Asian American identity in ways that no one else in the Sanchez building could, and for your friendship and collaboration I will always be grateful. You are the apa I always wanted but never had. Thank you for being my cheerleader and confidante. I am awed by your brilliance and passion for equity and social justice and will continue to pester you until we collaborate someday! Amanda Vickery was the best officemate a new graduate student could ask for. I was so fortunate to be in your presence as I figured out how to navigate everything from readings to “doing taxes” to finding the best children’s literature those first two years. You were always down for critical conversations and karaoke (two of my favorite things) and I look forward to continued rich conversations, book recommendations, and delicious meals at future conferences. Thank you for your unrelenting encouragement and advice since becoming Dr. Vickery, always having the time to recommend authors and articles even from Arizona, and guiding/supporting me through the job and interview process. To my dear friends in SZB 428: Anna Falkner, you had big shoes to fill but made our shared space somehow even more supportive and comforting. Thank you for your kindness and for being there to commiserate as we juggled graduate study and motherhood! We can do it! Kevin Magill – you always had a smile on your face and time to listen. I am grateful for your humor, encouragement, and karaoke prowess. Esther Kim, I look forward to seeing where academia leads you. I am so glad we were able to squeeze in a research project together and am always fascinated by your thoughtful point of view. Dee, your positivity is infectious. I can't wait to see where academia takes you! viii Thanks to Todd Hutner, our resident public intellectual-in-the-making who could always be counted on for easy distraction, citation advice, and what not to do for your dissertation. I appreciate your willingness to share the lessons you learned so that our work could go more smoothly, and your effortless portrayal of that guy at practice job talks was quite helpful. My dear Lakota, you have taught me so much about reconsidering race and belonging. I miss you terribly but look forward to seeing you change the world, starting in Oklahoma. Financial support was provided by the UT College of Education Graduate Student Research Award, which funded books requested by my participants and allowed me to amass an extensive collection of children’s literature about Asian American history. It also paid for a substantial amount of transcription, for which I and my children are very grateful since it allowed us a little more time together during a very hectic year of analysis and writing. Last but certainly not least, thank you to CCISD's social studies department and the brave and brilliant teachers who shared their personal stories and allowed me into their classrooms while they taught about the Asian American histories we never learned about in school ourselves.
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