Race, Population Studies, and America's Public Schools: A Critical Demography Perspective

(Hardback)

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The roles of race and racism in explaining current controversies related to public schools in America is both understudied and misunderstood. Part of the problem is the absence of a critical paradigm that facilitates the development and application of ideas, theories, and methods that do not fit within the confines of mainstream scholarship. Race, Population Studies, and America's Public Schools: A Critical Demography Perspective explores the paradigm of critical demographyestablished in the late 1990s which articulates the manner in which the social structure differentiates dominant and subordinate populations. Moreover, critical demography necessitates explicit discussions and examinations of the nature of power and how it perpetuates the existing social order. Hence, in the case of race in education, it is imperative that racism is central to the analysis. Racism elucidates that which often goes ignored or unexplained by conventional scholars. Consequently, the critical demography paradigm fills an important void in the study of public education in American schools.

Reviews

Race, Population Studies, and Americas Public Schools rips the mask off reams of traditional scholarship with its objective pose and its conceit of colorblind beneficence, illuminating the shrouded realities of oppression, power, and privilege lurking just beneath. And it comes at a perfect time: the centuries-old Black Freedom Movement is once again erupting, a fourth American revolution brewing. Read, study, learn, and rise up. -- Bill Ayers, emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago
This is a refreshing collection highlighting the importance of a long-standing paradigm using many empowering examples. Strongly recommended. -- Teresa A. Booker, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Author Bio

Hayward Derrick Horton is professor of sociology at University at Albany, State University of New York. Lori Latrice Martin is associate professor of sociology and African and African American studies at Louisiana State University. Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner is Shirley B. Barton Endowed associate professor at Louisiana State University.