This document provides an overview of American multiculturalism. It discusses how multiculturalism arose in the US with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It acknowledges the influence of pragmatism in the late 19th century. It then briefly outlines some of the key writers and works that represent the experiences and perspectives of African Americans, Latina/o Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans in the development of multiculturalism in America.

1. Topic : American Multiculturalism
Name: Nikunj Bhatti
Roll no.:17
M.A. Semester: 2
Enrolment No.: 14101005
Year: 2014-16
Paper no.: 8 Cultural Studies
Submitted to: Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

2. Types of
Cultural
Studies
British
Culture
Materialism
Postcolonial
Studies
Postmodernis
m and
Popular
Culture
American
Multiculturalism
New
Historicism

3. What is Multicultural?

5. American Multiculturalism
 American multiculturalism was came into
existence in 1964 with the passing Civil
Right Act.
 As a philosophy, multiculturalism
began as part of the Pragmatism
movement at the end of the19th century
in Europe and the United States.
 The Black Panther Party was founded by James Meredith.

6. “Every American should understand Mexico from the
point of view of the observer of the conquest and of
the history before the conquest……”

7. African American
Writers
Latina/o Writers
American Indian
Cultures
Asian American
Writers

8.  In “Shadow and Act” (1964) novelist Ralph Evison argues
that……
“Any viable theory of Negro American Culture
obligates us to fashion a more adequate theory
of American culture as a whole”
African American Writers

9.  African American writers
Harriet Wilson- “Our Nig”
Alice Walker-“The Color Purple”
Hunnah Craft- “The Bond Woman’s Narrative”

10. Latina/o Writers
 Latina/o writers are also known as Mexican American.
 This term indicates a broad sense of ethnicity among
Spanish-Speaking and most influential group of Latina/o
ethnicities in the United States.
Niggli-“Mexican Village” (1945)
Richard Rodriguez-“Hunger of Memory” (1981)

11. American Indian Literature
 A term ‘Native American’ is preferred by most academics and
many tribal, members, who find the term ‘Indian’ a
misnomer and stereotype- as in “cowboys and Indians” or
“Indian giver” that helped whites wrest the sentiment away
from indigenous people.
Edrich-“Tracks”
Joy Harjo-“She Had some Horses”

12. Asian American Writers
Asian American literature can be said to have begun around
the turn of the twentieth century.
Asian American writing is quiet among Americans as well as
other countries.
R.L.Stevenson-“Treasure Island” (1883)
Jack London-“The House of Pride” (1912)