We all agree that teaching world history is a
challenge. Therefore, when new approaches come along, they are always
welcome. Robert E. Niebuhr’s When East Met West: World History Through
Travelers’ Perspectives is for that reason well worth considering for use
in the world history classroom. Niebuhr has given us a new take on the primary-source
reader as travelogue. The goal is to provide students with both primary
sources for analysis, and to offer a vicarious substitute for actually
experiencing foreign cultures. This is an exciting approach because it presents
possibilities for livening up a world history classroom. The book is well
organized, nicely written, and sticks closely to its purpose throughout,
despite being a reader composed of diverse primary sources. When East Met
West is also problematic in that it requires students to understand some
new and difficult ideas before they can take full advantage of the book’s
contents.
Primary-source readers present
both opportunities and obstacles, the biggest of which is the most basic one of
teaching students to read, understand, and analyze primary sources in their
historical context. So many issues arise here—including students’ prior
knowledge of history, reading comprehension skills, ability to maintain
awareness of language and perhaps translation issues, and a willingness to
engage with the text at a deep level—that constructing any primary source
reader is a challenge. To this, Niebuhr adds the need for students to
understand his complex reasons for choosing sources exclusively from western
authors, and to have some theoretical aptitude as well. In other words,
students must be aware of a package of historical and theoretical knowledge
before engaging the text. The necessary tool kit includes knowledge of European
exploration and colonization after 1492, a grasp of intra-European conflict
during the same period, and an understanding of the Enlightenment. Students
also need to be familiar with terms like “other” as it is used in post-colonial
theory, and an ability to read and comprehend brief bits of Kant. There is
something to be said for teaching both the historical context and the sources
simultaneously. The course design for such an approach, though, means that this
volume should only be adopted after careful consideration and with the
expectation of much preparation prior to the beginning of the semester. The
high expectations for theoretical aptitude also anticipate reading
comprehension skills or a work ethic that may not be present in large numbers
in high school or lower-division college classes.
None
of this reduces the potential this book has to open doors to past cultures and
foreign places for students. Niebuhr’s argument in his introduction that a
travelogue may be one way to help students imagine with interest places that they
cannot visit is compelling. The author’s decision to rely exclusively on
western authors is nicely linked with the concentric geographical organization
of chapters to create a sense for readers that they are experiencing foreign
places from the comfortable seat of their own cultural experiences, and this
format still provides teachers with a good opportunity to problematize that
ethnocentric approach in class discussions. The sources themselves are well
chosen, and Niebuhr’s introduction can be easily used to get at some of the
issues I have mentioned as problems above.
In
particular, Niebuhr’s organizational strategy to “divide the readings into
geographic regions that move further from the center of European power (3),”
makes it very easy for students to see how close to home the process of exoticizing
foreign cultures begins. His chapter on the Balkans includes a memoir from
Arthur D. Howden Smith that seems particularly useful. An American,
Smith’s reports on the wars between the Turks and Macedonian Chetniks, published
in 1908, are close enough to current news reports on conflicts in the Middle
East, both in language and in terms of methods of cultural analysis, for
American students today to read them with great interest, and to find much to
talk about in class.
In
general, Niebuhr’s book is a challenge, both for what it will require in terms
of preparation for teaching, and the difficulties it will present to world
history students. On the other hand, we are in the business of challenging
students, and the fresh approach of this book is compelling, and is well
supported by the book’s excellent organization. Despite the preparation time required, When East Met West could provide a much-needed opportunity to breathe
life and relevance into a world history course.
Patrick Patterson is an Associate Professor of History at
Honolulu Community College, where he teaches World History and Asian
History. His primary area of research is Modern Japan. He can be
reached at ppatters@hawaii.edu. |
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