Ronald Takaki
| Ronald Takaki | |
|---|---|
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Takaki at Northeastern University in 2007
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| Born |
April 12, 1939 Oahu, Hawaii |
| Died | May 26, 2009 (aged 70) Berkeley, California |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Residence | Berkeley, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Post-secondary |
| Alma mater |
College of Wooster UC Berkeley |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Employer | UC Berkeley |
| Known for | Ethnic studies author |
| Title | Professor |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Rankin |
| Children | Troy Takaki, Todd Takaki and Dana Takaki |
Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki (April 12, 1939 – May 26, 2009) was an American academic, historian, ethnographer and author. Born in Oahu, Hawaii, his work addresses stereotypes of Asian Americans, such as the model minority concept.
Ronald Takaki was raised in a low-income area of Oahu, Hawaii. He was the descendant of Japanese immigrants who worked on the sugarcane plantations. He was raised by his mother and Chinese stepfather following his father's death at age seven. As a young boy, Takaki cared more for surfing than academics, earning the nickname "10-toes Takaki." During high school a Japanese American 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.
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 Americans on campus, he gained a new awareness of his ethnic identity. He was awarded a bachelor's degree in history in 1961.
His graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley led to a master's degree in 1962 and a Ph.D in American history 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.
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