The History of Identity with Mustafa Popal

Mustafa Popal is a dynamic Afghan-American professor of history here at Skyline College. He teaches all of his classes through the lens of identity, which emphasizes the importance of history when attempting to understand ourselves and our contemporary zeitgeist. In this interview, we explore thematics such as diversity, culture and education through some authentic avenues, such as identity, family and hip-hop.

Born and Raised: From Afghanistan to Germany To Concord, CA

Growing up with a primarily Afghan Social Circle

Mustafa analyzes whether the transition from primarily

 Afghan social circles to more diverse social circles had

 an effect on his identity.

Mustafa explains why he considers his relationship with

 being bi-cultural in America as embodying the

 "salad bowl theory" as opposed to the "melting pot theory."

Stay tuned to find out which element of the salad he most relates to!

Mustafa explains the experiences and responsibilities 

associated with being bi-cultural in America.

“Everything, then, passes between us.

This "between," as its name implies, has neither

a consistency nor continuity of its own.”

-Jean-Luc Nancy

Being Singular Plural

Mustafa explains his theories on why Americans

 lack the ability to engage in healthy discourse.

Mustafa discloses what he would like to see in education
so that students leave with the ability to articulate their thoughts
 and feelings and engage in healthier discourse.

"Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist
 on imposing their decisions, do not organize 
the people- they manipulate them."
-Paulo Freire

Mustafa describes the relationship he 

had with hip-hop as he was growing up.

Hip-Hop: Continued

Mustafa gives some insight on the factors,
aside from hip-hop, that led him to fall in love with History.

A Quick Inspirational Message from Mustafa

Mustafa provides some insight on the way he
 teaches history through the lens of Identity.

“Identity provides the human mind a sense of meaning,
purpose and truth, all prerequisites for engaging in
the day-to-day activities necessary for survival and existence."
-Mustafa Popal


Blooper: What if We ARE Robots?

BYE!