Racial capitalism and STEM education in Chicago Public Schools

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the role of STEM initiatives designed by city and corporate elites in a large urban district and outlines an alternative, grassroots vision for (STEM) education and city schools. Within a neoliberal context of gentrification, displacement, disinvestment, and privatization, STEM schools have become strategic components of Chicago’s ‘portfolio district’ that serve the interests of racial capitalism in three ways. First, STEM schools provide a claim to fairness in the midst of racist school closures. Second, STEM high schools are a corporate strategy for racially stratified labor force preparation that restricts curriculum and reifies tracking. Third, curriculum restriction prioritizes corporate interests over students’ capacity to shape their communities and the world. The authors draw on the wisdom of Chicago communities who have led resistance against corporate education reform to critique Chicago STEM policy and point to critical mathematics and science education as part of a model for sustainable community schools.     

Talks and disputes of racism in Colombia after multiculturalism*

ABSTRACT

This article examines the terms that shape the notion of ethnic group for black communities. This notion allows one to understand the singularity of Colombia’s turn to multiculturalism in the 1990s, and how it has impacted the political and theoretical imaginations of cultural otherness. I will argue that this shift to multiculturalism has not meant the disappearance of the talks and disputes of racism and the beginning of a kind of ‘post-racial’ social formation. On the contrary, old and new forms of talk and disputes of racism could be traced after this shift to multiculturalism, not only in relation to the dense legislation for the recognition of black communities as ethnic groups, but also in regard to other realms such as social media, activist struggles and academic paradigms.     

Racial battle fatigue and activist burnout in racial justice activists of color at predominately White colleges and universities

Activist burnout scholarship has inadequately considered challenges marginalized-identity activists, such as racial justice activists of color, experience in the course of their activism – challenges from which privileged identity activists, such as white racial justice activists, are protected. This article attempts to address this gap through a phenomenological study examining activist burnout in racial justice activists of color whose primary sites of activism are predominantly white colleges and universities in the United States at which they work. In order to stretch activist burnout theory to differentiate unique marginalized-identity activists’ burnout causes from general causes that do not consider specific activist identities, the lens of racial battle fatigue is employed. Findings show that, although participants shared many causes of burnout that are consistent with general non-identity-specific causes described in existing literature, racial battle fatigue hastened their burnout while their activist commitments elevated their battle fatigue.     

In search of career satisfaction: African-American public relations practitioners, pigeonholing, and the workplace

The goals of the research were to explore African-American practitioners’ satisfaction with public relations as a career and to examine their perceptions of tokenism and pigeonholing in the workplace. Three key themes emerged from the research: career entry and social support in public relations; encounters with everyday racism; and pigeonholing in public relations. For the majority of 12 African-American practitioners interviewed, they have experienced discrimination in their careers and in public relations, yet the practitioners did not see themselves as pigeonholed in their roles or positions. The complete study can be requested from the author.     

PRESTRUCTURING COOPERATION AMONG ACTING-OUT YOUTH

In the past 15 years, the authors and their students have frequently used the treasure hunt in activity treatment groups. Experience confirms that the planned use of the treasure hunt's activity structure has powerful treatment effects. Repeated student testimonials about the efficacy of the treasure hunt and the usefulness of this paper as an example of programming prompts us to share it with other practitioners. This paper is a case illustration of the planning and use of treasure hunt as a means of influencing behavioral change in a group of emotionally troubled boys, specifically how to prevent or eliminate destructive conflict and initiate cooperation. The practitioners intended change operations, the responses desired in the members, and a synopsis of outcomes are presented (c.f., Churchill, 1959).     

批判式的救赎——从《八月之光》主人公克里斯默斯看福克纳的种族观

小说<八月之光>的主人公克里斯默斯是一位十分难以把握的人物,他的种族身份模糊不明,在行为和思想上体现出众多的矛盾性.此外,他身上的暴力行为与小说题目所暗示出的自然明媚的八月之光似乎格格不入.通过分析主人公克里斯默斯的人生经历,剖析他的内心和自我情节,证明克里斯默斯不仅仅是种族主义的牺牲者,更是行动者、奋斗者和一位闪耀精神之光、同命运抗争的黑色斗士,从中透视出作家福克纳的种族观.     

试析福柯生命权力中的人口概念

福柯政治哲学视权力为一种历经复杂谱系,以真理为支撑条件的动态机制。生命权力是福柯关于西方现代权力机制分析的重要内容,就其诞生的谱系而言,它是权力机制由18世纪西方社会传统统治权模式向重农主义治理术转变的结果;而其真理性条件为:人口作为生物学存在的"自然性"。人口"自然性"作为一个具有实体性意义的可分析场域取代了以君主意志和利益为核心的统治权结构。以人口"自然性"治理人口成为生命权力的权力理性。自此权力得以深入干预人口活动,更得以以生物学模式处理人口整体中不同群体之间的矛盾。重新将人口问题置于对权力机制分析的理论框架中,避免由生物学思维模式产生的政治暴力,是福柯权力理论之于当代政治实践的理论价值所在。     

西方族性与多元文化主义原理初探

族性理论是民族理论的外延性概念,与以往西方民族理论既有相似之处,又有显著的不同点。批判种族主义和同化主义对族性所强加的片面性,同时以生物学原理去思考它所包含的本质特征,诠释人们对它执着性的自然原理,并将其视为可变的概念来置于多元文化主义原理中,试图揭示其合理性和适用性内涵。进而对多元文化主义原理的普遍性和合理性作为伸展理由,又以实证的办法对它的可能性和限界性较为详述的同时,罗列出多元文化主义制度的各种模式,并把它们视之为解决种族、民族、族性问题的理想方案。     

How is ‘racism’ understood in literature about black and minority ethnic social work students in Britain? A conceptual review

ABSTRACT

This conceptual review interrogates a body of literature concerned with black and minority ethnic (BME) social work students in Britain since 2008. This period has coincided with an increasing focus on diversity in Higher Education, but also lower prominence being given to race in social work. In social work education, there has been increased attention to the needs and experiences of BME students. While most of this literature acknowledges racism, what constitutes racism and how it can be understood usually remain implicit. This review aimed to explore influential concepts in the literature and the ways these affected how racism is understood and identified. A search was carried out for articles in peer-reviewed academic journals between 2008 and 2018. In this article, we discuss four recurring concepts of racism in this literature: subtle racism, institutional racism, cultural difference and pedagogical solutions. The article analyses the assumptions underpinning these concepts, and the implications for how racism has been understood and investigated in this literature. The subsequent discussion calls for a more reflexive approach and identifies questions that future research could explore, which could lead to improved understandings of racism in social work education.