A Different Mirror

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

The Different Mirror Effect: Multiculturalism in America 30 Years Later

Originally published in 1993, A Different Mirror has long been considered a groundbreaking text, helping pave the way for greater diversity in American scholarship and American society in general. In this activity, students will chart the ways in which American life has changed since A Different Mirror was first published and seek out tangible results of its multicultural messaging.

When A Different Mirror was published in 1993, it was a much different time in America: a time before the Black Lives Matter movement, before the #MeToo movement, before the Dakota Pipeline protests. The world, including the United States, was a very different place.

In this small-group exercise, you will create presentations (either electronically with slideshow software or on paper with poster board) that chart the ways in which Takaki’s messages in A Different Mirror have become ingrained in the fabric of American culture.

• Start by reviewing a list of social movements that you find or brainstorm together. Select the movement that you’d like to focus on.