The language of ethnic studies

Here are samples from the glossary of the state’s draft model curriculum for ethnic studies:

ACCOMPLICESHIP

The process of building relationships grounded in trust and accountability with marginalized people and groups. This is in contrast to the contested notion of allyship which is often performative, superficial and disconnected from the anticolonial struggle.

ANDROCENTRIC

The privileging and emphasis of male or masculine interests, narratives, traits, or points of view, often in spaces where power is wielded.

CAPITALISM

Within ethnic studies, scholars are often very critical of the system of capitalism as research has shown that native people and people of color are disproportionately exploited within the system. In a capitalist economy, surplus value (profit) is generated from human labor and everything is commodified.

HERSTORY

A term used to describe history written from a feminist or women’s perspective. The prefix “her” instead of “his” is used to disrupt the often androcentric nature of history.

HETEROPATRIARCHY

A system of society in which men and heterosexuals, especially heterosexual men, are privileged, dominant and hold power.

HXRSTORY

Pronounced the same as “herstory,” hxrstory is used to describe history written from a more gender-inclusive perspective.

MASTER NARRATIVE

Generally described as the colonially derived story of events emphasizing monolithic, Eurocentric, and androcentric perspectives.

NEPANTLAS

A Nahuatl word that was adopted by Chicanx writers, scholars, and feminists to describe an “in-between space.” Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldua was among the first to advance theorizing on the term, defining it as a precarious space where transformation can occur.

THE FOUR I’S

The four I’s of oppression are: ideological (an idea, concept or theory whose qualities advocate for or can be interpreted as causing harm or upholding the views of a dominant group at the expense of others), institutional (the belief that one group is superior to another),

interpersonal (how oppression is played out among individuals), and

internalized (the internalization of the belief that one group is superior to another).

WHITENESS

A social construct that has served as the foundation for racialization in the United States. Whiteness is much more than a racial identity marker; it separates those who are privileged from those who are not.

XDISCIPLINARY

The term signifying that ethnic studies variously takes the forms of being interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, undisciplinary, and intradisciplinary, in diverse academic and everyday contexts.