Table of Contents
Series Foreword James A. Banks xi
Acknowledgments xv
Preface xvii
What Is "Critical Social Justice"? xvii
Chapter Summaries xix
Prologue xxiii
A Parable: Hodja and the Foreigner xxiii
Layers of the Parable xxiv
1 Critical Thinking and Critical Theory 1
Two Dimensions of Thinking Critically About Knowledge 2
A Brief Overview of Critical Theory 4
Why Theory Matters 6
Knowledge Construction 7
Example of Knowledge as Socially Constructed 10
Thinking Critically About Opinions 10
2 Socialization 14
What Is Socialization? 15
Cultural Norms and Conformity 17
"You" in Relation to the "Groups" to Which You Belong 21
3 Prejudice and Discrimination 28
Prejudice 29
Discrimination 32
All Humans Have Prejudice and Discriminate 34
4 Oppression and Power 38
What Is Oppression? 39
Social Stratification 41
Understanding the "isms" 43
Internalized Dominance 49
Internalized Oppression 49
Hegemony, Ideology, and Power 50
5 Privilege 57
What Is Privilege? 58
External and Structural Dimensions of Privilege 59
Internal and Attitudinal Dimensions of Privilege 65
Common Dominant Group Misconceptions About Privilege 74
6 The Invisibility of Oppression 79
What Is an Institution? 80
An Example: Sexism Today 80
What Makes Sexism Difficult to See? 82
Discourses of Sexism in Advertising 84
Discourses of Sexism in Movies 87
Discourses of Sexism in Music Videos 89
7 Racism 96
What Is Race? 97
A Brief History of the Social Construction of Race in the United States 98
A Brief History of the Social Construction of Race in Canada 99
What Is Racism? 100
Two Key Challenges to Understanding Racism 102
Racism Today 104
Dynamics of White Racial Superiority 109
Dynamics of Internalized Racial Oppression 112
Racism and Intersectionality 115
8 Racism as White Supremacy 118
What is Whiteness? 119
White Supremacy in the Global Context 120
Common White Misconceptions about Racism 123
9 Yeah, But…" Common Rebuttals 130
Claiming That Schools Are Politically Neutral 131
Dismissing Social Justice Scholarship as Merely the Radical and Personal Opinions of Individual "Left Wing" Professors 132
Citing Exceptions to the Rule 132
Arguing That Oppression Is Just "Human Nature" 133
Appealing to a Universalized Humanity 134
Insisting on Immunity from Socialization 134
Ignoring Intersectionality 135
Refusing to Recognize Structural and Institutional Power 136
Rejecting the Politics of Language 137
Invalidating Claims of Oppression as Over-Sensitivity 138
Reasoning That If Choice Is Involved It Can't Be Oppression 140
Positioning Social Justice Education as Something "Extra" 141
Using Guilt to Excuse Inaction 142
10 Putting It All Together 145
Recognize How Relations of Unequal Social Power Are Constantly Being Negotiated 146
Understand Our Own Positions Within Relations of Unequal Power 149
Think Critically About Knowledge 154
Act in Service of a More Just Society 158
Appendix: How to Engage Constructively in Courses That Take a Critical Social Justice Approach 165
Glossary 180
References 189
Index 200
About the Authors 214
