Ronald Takaki

Ronald Takaki, 2007

Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki (born April 12, 1939 in Oahu , Hawaii , † May 26, 2009 in Berkeley , California ) was an American historian , university professor , ethnographer and author . In his work, he mainly dealt with issues related to immigration to the United States .

biography

Origin, school, studies

Takaki was the son of Japanese parents who worked on the Hawaiian sugar cane plantations . Although he was more into beach life and surfing as a teenager , he was encouraged to go to college based on a recommendation from one of his teachers. As one of the few Asian students at the College of Wooster in Ohio , he was confronted with the problem of being racially different , which influenced his plans for the future. He earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1961, followed by a master's in 1962 and his doctorate in 1967 at the University of California, Berkeley . His doctoral thesis dealt with slavery in America and the ideas behind it and was later published as a book.

academic career

Takaki became a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was the first to teach black history. In 1972 he was called to his alma mater in Berkeley. His lectures, for example, on Racial Inequality in America, were the basis for the development of the Ethnic Studies course , which today leads to a doctorate. In 2004 Takaki retired after more than 30 years in Berkeley.

Family and death

Takaki was married to Carol Rankin . The couple has three children. Takaki died of suicide after suffering from multiple sclerosis for 20 years .

Publications

• A Pro-Slavery Crusade: The Agitation to Reopen the African Slave Trade. Free Press, New York City 1971, ISBN 0-02-932430-0 .
• Iron Cages: Race and Culture in Nineteenth-Century America. Alfred A. Knopf, New York City 1979, ISBN 0-394-48310-3 .
• Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Lobor in Hawaii, 1835-1920. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1984, ISBN 0-8248-0956-4 .
• From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America . Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 1994, ISBN 0-19-508368-7 .
• Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts 1989, ISBN 0-8335-6169-3 .
  • Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff: Raising Cane: The World of Plantation Hawaii. Chelsea House Publications, New York / Philadelphia 1994, ISBN 0-7910-2178-5 .
• A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1993, ISBN 0-316-83112-3 .
  • Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff: A different Mirror for young people: A History of Multicultural America . Seven Stories Press, New York City 2012, ISBN 978-1-60980-484-8 .
• Violence in the Black Imagination: Essays and Documents. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 1993, ISBN 0-19-508249-4 .
• A Larger Memory: A History of Our Diversity with Voices. Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1993, ISBN 0-316-83169-7 .
• Ethnic Islands: The Emergence of Urban Chinese America . Chelsea House, New York City 1994, ISBN 0-7910-2180-7 .
• Issei and Nisei: The Settling of Japanese America. Facts on File, New York City 1994, ISBN 0-7910-2179-3 .
• From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 1994, ISBN 0-19-508368-7 .
• Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb. Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1995, ISBN 0-316-83124-7 .
• India in the West. South Asians in America. Chelsea House, New York City 1995, ISBN 0-7910-2186-6 .
• Lives of Notable Asian Americans: Business, Politics, Science. Chelsea House, New York City 1995, ISBN 0-7910-2189-0 .
• with Rebecca Solnit : Tracing Cultures. Introduction by Andy Grunberg. Friends of Photography, San Francisco 1995, ISBN 0-933286-69-4 .
• Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II. Little, Brown, Boston 2000, ISBN 0-316-83155-7 .
• Debating Diversity: Clashing Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England 2002, ISBN 0-19-514651-4 .