Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki (April 12, 1939 – May 26, 2009) was an American

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, ethnographer and author. Born in pre-statehood Hawaii, Takaki studied at the College of Wooster and completed his doctorate in American history at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

. His work addresses stereotypes of

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

, such as the model minority concept.Aguirre, Adalberto. (2003)
''Racial and Ethnic Diversity in America: A Reference Handbook,'' p. 125.
/ref> Among his most notable books are ''Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian-Americans'' from 1989 and ''A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America'' from 1993. Takaki was a professor at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

from 1966 to 1971 and

from 1971 to 2003.

Early life

Born in 1939 in Hawaii Territory, Takaki grew up in the Palolo neighborhood of

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...

. He was the descendant of Japanese immigrants who worked on the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...

s. His father, Harry Toshio Takaki, immigrated to Hawaii from Mifune, Kumamoto, Japan as a teenager and worked at a plantation in Puʻunene before studying under Ray Jerome Baker and opening his own photography studio. Harry died when Ronald was five, and Ronald's mother married Koon Keu Young, an immigrant from

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

, China who became Ronald's stepfather. As a young boy, Takaki cared more for surfing than academics, earning the nickname "10-toes Takaki." During high school a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

teacher, Rev. Shunji Nishi Ph.D encouraged him to pursue college and wrote him a letter of recommendation for the College of Wooster in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at ...

. His undergraduate experiences there caused him to begin asking the kinds of questions which evolved into the foundation of his career. As one of only two

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

s on campus, he gained a new awareness of his ethnic identity. He was awarded a bachelor's degree in history in 1961. Takaki then began graduate studies in American history at the

and completed his master's degree in 1962 and Ph.D. in 1967. His dissertation was on the subject of American slavery, focusing on the rationale for slavery. This work later became his first book: A Pro-Slavery Crusade: the Agitation to Reopen the African Slave Trade. Takaki's personal experiences inspired him to devote his life to working for equality for Asian Americans and others. A seminal event in his life developed when his wife's family refused to accept him because they could only see him as a "jap"—not as a native-born American citizen just like any one else.

Academic career

His initial teaching experience was in 1966 at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, where he taught the first Black History course offered at that institution. When recalling his first day teaching this course, he stated, "When I walked into the classroom I discovered it was held in a huge auditorium - 500 seats and every seat was taken, and students were sitting in the aisles, and there was a loud chitter-chatter, the students were excited...As I made my way to the front of the auditorium all of a sudden a silence descended in this room and their eyes were riveted on me and I could just feel them saying to themselves, 'Funny, he doesn't look black'." One of his students on the first day asked what the class was going to learn about "revolutionary tactics," and he later recalled that his immediate response was to suggest that he hoped students would learn skills of critical thinking and effective writing—and that these could be quite revolutionary. In 1971, he accepted a teaching position at Berkeley where his general survey course, "Racial Inequality in America: a Comparative Perspective," led the development of an undergraduate ethnic studies major and an ethnic studies Ph.D. program. For the next three decades, he continued to be an important contributor in the growth of the program. He was involved in developing the school's multicultural requirement for graduation: the American Cultures Requirement.Hyman, Carol
"UC Berkeley Professor Ronald Takaki wins Fred Cody Award for lifetime literary achievement, service to community."
UC Berkeley Press Release. November 18, 2002. The long-time Professor of Asian American Studies retired in 2003.

Personal life

Takaki married Carol Rankin in 1961; they met as students at the College of Wooster. They had three children. Takaki died of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

on 26 May 2009 in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

after having

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...

for nearly 20 years, according to his son Troy.

Honors

* Association of Asian American Studies (AAAS), Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009.AAAS, Book award, Hawaii, 2009
Lifetime Achievement Award
/ref> * Bay Area Book Reviewers Association, Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002. * Asia Pacific Council, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002. * Society of American Historians (SAH), 1995.Quintero, Fernando
"Telling the Untold Stories: Ronald Takaki's 'Re-visioning' of History Turns Anglo-Centric Views Inside Out,"
UC Berkeley Press Release. May 24, 1995. *

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, Messenger Lecturer, 1993.

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

*
''In Depth'' interview with Takaki, February 28, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takaki, Ronald American social scientists 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of the United States Social historians Asian-American history Ethnographers American academics of Japanese descent University of California, Berkeley faculty American writers of Japanese descent Writers from Honolulu People with multiple sclerosis 1939 births 2009 suicides Suicides in California ʻIolani School alumni College of Wooster alumni Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area American Book Award winners Historians from California 20th-century American male writers