Books
The Great White North? Exploring Whiteness, Privilege and Identity in Education
Co-edited with Darren E. Lund, published by Sense Publishers (2007)
This landmark book represents the first text to pay critical and sustained attention to Whiteness in Canada from an impressive line-up of leading scholars and activists. The burgeoning scholarship on Whiteness will benefit richly from this book’s timely inclusion of the insights of Canadian scholars, educators, activists and others working for social justice within and through the educational system, with implications far beyond national borders.
Over 20 leading scholars and activists have contributed a diversity of chapters offering a concerted scholarly analysis of how the complex problematic of Whiteness affects the structure, culture, content and achievement within education in Canada. Contributors include James Frideres, Carl James, Cynthia Levine-Rasky, and Patrick Solomon.
The book critically examines diverse perspectives, contexts, and the construction and application of societal and institutional practices, both formal and informal, that underpin inequitable power relations and disenfranchisement. Its relevance extends beyond the Canadian context, as those in other global settings will find abundant and poignant lessons for their own trans-formative work in education with a particular focus on social justice.
Like (1)Doing Democracy: Striving for Political Literacy and Social Justice
Co-authored with Darren E. Lund, published by Peter Lang (2008)
In this provocative collection of essays with a distinctly
critical and nuanced approach to how democracy is
taught, learned, understood, and lived, authors from four
continents share their visions on how democracy needs
to be cultivated, critiqued, demonstrated, and
manifested throughout the educational experience. The
collective concern is how we actually do democracy in
education. The essays argue that democracy must be
infused in everything that happens at school: curriculum,
extra-curricular activities, interaction with parents and
communities, and through formal organization and
structures.
One of the book’s central questions is: Are
educators merely teaching students skills and knowledge
to prepare them for the world of work, or is education
more about encouraging students to thrive within a
pluralistic society? This book reveals that democracy is
an ethos, an ideology, a set of values, a philosophy, and
a complex and dynamic terrain that is a contested forum
for debate.
From seasoned veterans to emerging scholars,
these writers challenge the idea that there is only one
type of democracy, or that democracy is defined by
elections. Using a range of theoretical, conceptual, and
methodological approaches, each essay makes a
compelling case for how education can advance a more
critical engagement in democracy that promotes social
justice and political literacy for all. Diverse examples
illustrate the theme of doing democracy. With its
numerous models for teaching and learning to
encourage critical thinking and engagement, this book is
certain to be an invaluable resource to educators,
researchers, students, and anyone with a passion for
democratic ideals.
Add Comment