Resources

A historical case study of the construction and reconstruction of race between the late 19th century and the 1940s is used to document the ways in which the social, cultural, political, and historical contexts in which knowers are embedded influence the knowledge they construct and reconstruct.

African American leaders and thinkers, as represented by such figures as W. E. B. DuBois and Carter G. Woodson, have historically dedicated themselves to winning the struggle against racism and a racialized social order and improving the quality of life for the African American masses. Postmodern African American scholars have continued this tradition of scholar-activism in supporting the reconceptualization of U.S. society as multicultural. The varying approaches to multiculturalism and the contributions of critical theory and feminist theories are influencing the thinking of contemporary African American educators as they face the future of education. In the postindustrial and postmodern American society of the twenty-first century, the most critical educational struggle for people of color will be for control over the academic, intellectual, and political development of their children. The emergence of a global U.S. society from the Afro-Judeo-Christian popular culture is being born out of the challenge to reconfigure the dominant realms of truth and rational knowledge.

Reviews the debate over multicultural education, and illustrates the roots of the debate between multiculturalists and Western traditionalists. A typology of knowledge is presented; and it is argued that each type should be part of curriculum at elementary school, secondary school, and higher levels.

Argues that African Americans, other people of color, and those committed to democracy must counter Anglohegemony by using liberatory and emancipatory pedagogy in learning institutions. Examples of interpretive lenses of "the other" are given, and implications of using these lenses are examined. The importance of educational research is discussed.

Although there are many different approaches, statements of aims, and definitions of multicultural education, an examination of literature by specialists in the field indicates that there is a high level of consensus about its aims and goals. A major goal, as recognized by specialists in the field, is the reform of schools and other educational institutions so that students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social-class groups can experience equality. The current debate about the extent to which the histories and cultures of women and people of color should be incorporated into the study of Western civilization has complicated the search for clear disciplinary boundaries within the field. A look at the history of the multicultural education movement and the construction of knowledge about multicultural education reveals insights into the problems and promises of multicultural education today. The most important implication of a review of multicultural education research today is that it must be conceptualized and viewed broadly if it is to bring about meaningful change in education.