Using African American Narratives to Analyze Social Policy

Abstract

This paper explores how African American literature can enrich the analysis of social policy in social work graduate courses. The historic debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois about black progress, and its reflection in subsequent works by Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Shelby Steele, and Cornel West, illustrate that the debate remains present in contemporary affirmative action and welfare reform policies. Using ethnic narratives can expand adult students' ability to analyze the purposes, consequences, and values underlying social policies and help social workers formulate, document and buttress new policy positions. Such abilities are especially critical for social policies in which race remains a critical influence.     

The colour of numbers: surveys,statistics and deficit‐thinking about race and class

Drawing on the traditions of critical race theory, the paper is presented as a chronicle – a narrative – featuring two invented characters with different histories and expertise. Together they explore the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative approaches to race equality in education. In societies that are structured in racial domination, such as the USA and the UK, quantitative approaches often encode particular assumptions about the nature of social processes and the generation of educational inequality that reflect a generally superficial understanding of racism. Statistical methods can obscure the material reality of racism and the more that statisticians manipulate their data, the more it is likely that majoritarian assumptions will be introduced as part of the fabric of the calculations themselves and the conclusions that are drawn. Focusing on the case of recent national data on the secondary education of minoritized children in England, the paper highlights statisticians’ ability to define what counts as a ‘real’ inequality without public challenge or scrutiny; reflects on the dangers of statistical ‘explanations’ in the realm of public debate and policy outcomes; and questions quantitative assumptions about the intersectional relationships between different forms of oppression, including gender, class and race.     

Exploring pupils' perceptions of teacher racism in their context: A case study of Turkish and Belgian vocational education pupils in a Belgian school

This article employs ethnographic data gathered from one Belgian (Flemish) secondary school to explore the meaning Belgian and Turkish‐speaking minority pupils enrolled in technical and vocational education attach to teacher racism and racial discrimination, and to explore variations between pupils in making claims of teacher racism. A symbolic interactionist framework is employed to explore how pupils define teacher racism and how a particular context and interactions between pupils and teachers informs pupils' perceptions of racism. This article builds on a strong research tradition in British sociology of education on racism and discrimination by focusing the analysis on pupils' perceptions of such incidents and by investigating how racism is experienced by a generally neglected group of Turkish minority pupils in a particular Belgian education context.     

School principals and racism: responding to Aveling

This study responds to Nado Aveling's call in ‘Anti-racism in Schools: A question of leadership?’ (Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 2007, 28(1), 69–85) for further investigation into racism in Australian schools. Aveling's interview study concluded that an overwhelming number of school principals denied the presence of racism in their schools, and that there were no discernible differences in how principals in different schools constructed racism. In contrast, our research found that school principals' constructions of cultural racism are strongly influenced by their school contexts. We elucidate these differences examining the various intersections between race, class and religion deployed by principals in different sites, and argue for the utility of examining and theorising cultural racism using an intersectional approach. By bringing context into our analysis we provide a more nuanced insight into the different ways in which racism is constituted and understood by Australian school principals.     

Engaging Students with Art-Based S-R-C (Sense of Belonging,Resistance, and Coalition Building) Strategies for Anti-Racism

In this article, we discuss our struggles and efforts to respond to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate crimes and anti-Asian racism, as well as explore ways to address the issues of anti-Asian racism, violence, myths, and stereotypes in the art classroom. We researched and learned from contemporary Asian American artists, attended anti-racism virtual talks, and examined various anti-racism pedagogical approaches. As an outcome of our research to confront anti-racism, we developed S-R-C strategies to engage students with art-based anti-racism, which include facilitating a sense of belonging (S), resisting anti-Asian racism (R), and coalescing with other minority groups and allies (C). These strategies were developed to fully embrace the equity, diversity, and inclusivity of AAPI sequentially and holistically. This article also reports how we use the S-R-C strategies to guide our pre-service art teachers to confront anti-Asian racism and advocate for anti-racism teaching practices.     

游戏中折射出的种族主义——读福克纳的《去吧,摩西》

威廉·福克纳是一位痛恨奴隶制和种族主义,同情黑人命运的反种族主义作家,在《去吧,摩西》小说的第一部分《话说当年》中,通过布克大叔把托梅的图尔当作猎物与之进行赛跑以及布蒂大叔在扑克牌游戏中赢了休伯特,赢得了战利品——托梅的图尔的女友——谭尼两个游戏中深刻揭露了南方的奴隶制和种族歧视。这是一个幽默可笑的故事。但这并非仅仅是一出闹剧。托梅的图尔所处的尴尬境地,所受的人身束缚真实生动地折射出了当时黑奴悲惨的生活和所受的不公正待遇。