James A. Banks is the Kerry and Linda Killinger Endowed Chair in Diversity Studies Emeritus at the University of Washington, Seattle. He was the Russell F. Stark University Professor at the University of Washington from 2001 to 2006. Professor Banks is a past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). He is a specialist in social studies education and multicultural education and has written widely in these fields.
His books include An Introduction to Multicultural Education; Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum, and Teaching; Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society; and Race, Culture, and Education: The Selected Works of James A. Banks. Professor Banks is the editor of the Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education; The Routledge International Companion to Multicultural Education; the Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education (4 volumes); and Citizenship Education and Global Migration: Implications for Theory, Research, and Teaching. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Professor Banks was a Spencer Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford in 2005–2006, and the Tisch Distinguished Visiting Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2007. He holds honorary doctorates from six colleges and universities and is a recipient of the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor. In 2005, Professor Banks delivered the 29th Annual Faculty Lecture at the University of Washington, the highest honor given to a professor at the University.
Research by Professor Banks on how educational institutions can improve race and ethnic relations has greatly influenced schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and the world. Professor Banks has given lectures on citizenship education and diversity in many different nations, including Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, and New Zealand. His books have been translated into Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, and Arabic. A video archive and interview of Professor Banks appears on “Inside the Academy” here.
