Week 9

Chapter 4

1.   Why was Seattle such a significant place for the Filipina/o American community?   How were "family" relations enacted in the city, and why did economic issues play such an important role in the development of these relations?

2.   Why did "brothers" and "uncles" become such a privileged form of family relations?   What was the position of women in a society that was dominated by male-centered relationships?

3.  How does examining Filipina/o American families help us to see the role of the "State" in shaping people’s lives?   Why is "family" an important way to learn about the 1) economic barriers, 2) legal restrictions, and 3) racial discrimination enacted against the Filipina/o American community?  

4.   Why does intermarriage become such an crucial issue regarding the Filipina/o American community?   How does addressing intermarriage help us to examine the role of racial hierarchies in Seattle and the U.S. West during this time?   Why is it also important to move beyond a focus on nuclear family models to more fully understand the multiple forms of "family" in which Filipina/o American were enmeshed?

Chapter 5

1.   Why do you think the case of Marcelino Julian was so prominent in Seattle newspapers?   What kinds of images were being promoted about Filipina/o Americans through his case?   Where have we seen similar images regarding Filipina/os in other cultural documents presented in this course?

2.   How did Filipina/os resist their position, both in Seattle and elsewhere?

3.   Why is exclusion such a prominent theme in Filipina/o American history?   Why was Filipina/o migration so regulated by government policy?   What does this tell us about the role of the State in determining the formation of the Filipina/o American community?  

4.   How did "organization" emerge as a significant activity among Filipina/o Americans?   What kinds of social networks were created, augmenting other forms of "family" experienced by Filipina/o Americans?