Identifying Race and Transforming Whiteness in the Classroom (Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education)

If you read the book with an open mind, you will see just how much it speaks to the minority American experience. It's hard for us to see things from others' perspectives, but if you allow yourself to do so, it will open your eyes. I'm about half-way through it and I've found it to be very enlightening. It really does break our system down and show how the disadvantaged have barriers to their social mobility. It's not saying that white people are the root of all evil; instead, it differentiates between "whiteness" and "people who are white". It defines whiteness as "a constellation of social practices, knowledge, norms, values, and identities that maintain a race and class hierarchy in which white people disproportionately control power and resources" (p.14). Yes, there are poor and powerless white people in this country, and no, that doesn't run contrary to the book's message. I think that some of the previous reviewers either (1) didn't read past the first couple of pages and dismissed the book without having understood its content; (2) didn't have an open mind when reading the book; or (3) missed the entire message completely. This book is worth the read. BTW, it's written by two white women, in case you are wondering.

Except for the concept that Hiphop is an actual culture, the study of Whiteness ranks high on the list of useless academic pursuits.
What is the true purpose of studying whiteness? Those who liken it to the study Afro-American, Hispanic or Women's history will be quite surprised to learn that the study of whiteness is an excercise in social/racism couched in the language of scientific inquiry. Read any of the above mentioned topics and you'll discover the unique gifts of women and minorities their gifts to humankind range from literature to law and in between-but what makes them realy unique is that they accomplished so much, in spite of their Victimhood.
The perpetrators of all their misery are mostly white males(feminist white women are seen as victims as well). Under the guise of objective research the way Whites communicate, make laws, write history, tell jokes, dance and worship reflect their inane racist thoughts.
Now where have we heard that before? can we say Hitler and Stalin, Chairman Mao and Pol Pot. If we believe that one race/gender is unique are we not returning to the American landscape of the 19th century.
Apparently the author wishes to create a society of justice and equality by transforming white people into the symbol of Hitler's Eternal Jew!

This book was assigned me by a professor for a master's class. Throughout the week I have been plodding through it, and as I sit here preparing to write on it I find myself losing respect for very degree I am earning. A masters in education cannot mean what I thought it did if this is the kind of postmodernist pablum that passes for thoughtful discourse. Unabashed leftism is the rule in education in the United States, but this book even offends those it purports to befriend.

Simplistic. Thoughtlessly antagonistic. It adds nothing but poison to the great American experiment.

Several chapters I found very insightful information that will be pertinent to my teaching and have a lasting impression on me. From the seating of the students to how they view me as "white." One chapter I especially enjoyed was Christensen's Tribal Paradigm she begins by describing the importance of the tribal Elder's knowledge, "Elder knowledge passed through oral tradition is important and even structural in the holistic world of the Indian (Lea & Helfand, 2004, p. 172)." As I teach, I try to bring in real world examples so that the students can have something to think about.
Parts of the book were over-generalized. The over-generalization that bothered me a lot is lumping "whiteness" with all people of white color. There are underprivileged white people and rich white people who take advantage of everything. If it were so easy for all white people, then I would not have had to take out student loans to go to college while working two jobs at a time. I think we are all humans and to catalog humans with colors or stereotypes is doing a injustice.

This book is an excellent collection of writings by edcators who are attemting to interrogate and de-center whiteness. The previous researcher, based on his other reviews, is clearly trying to RE-center whiteness.

I love this collection--great food for thought.