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Race, Culture, and Politics in Education

A Global Journey From South Africa

Kogila Moodley

Afterword by: Sonia Nieto

Publication Date: December 4, 2020

Pages: 176

Series: Multicultural Education Series

Available Formats
PAPERBACK
ISBN: 9780807764886
$34.95
HARDCOVER
ISBN: 9780807764893
$105.00
EBOOK
ISBN: 9780807779330
$34.95
Race, Culture, and Politics in Education 9780807764886
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  • Description
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • Contents

Description+

This autobiographical volume will foster a deeper understanding of racism, discrimination, and inequality in all its subtleties. Through storytelling, framed within the life journey of a South African sociologist of Indian ancestry, this book examines how marginalized communities lived with, fought, and braved racial engineering under apartheid. Moodley shares her experiences of living, studying, and teaching race, ethnicity, identity, nationalism, and critical multiculturalism in five countries: South Africa, the United States, Germany, Egypt, and Canada. Everyday experiences are blended with academic interpretations, so readers gain insights from what is in part memoir and in other parts educational lessons drawn from numerous microexperiences. Subjects range from indentured labor to expropriation, the influences of Gandhi and Mandela, antisemitism in Europe to welfare colonialism in Canada, sectarianism in the Middle East to strategies for combatting bigotry in America.

Book Features:

  • Presents autobiographical material buttressed by strong theoretically driven social science research findings.
  • Connects personal, cultural, and political landscapes to promote a global political literacy.
  • Sketches subjects such as indigeneity (First Nations in Canada), memorialization in Germany (Holocaust), and sectarianism in the Middle East.
  • Assesses the impact of role models and leaders, such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Examines how past injustices can be addressed both symbolically and materially.

Author+

Kogila Moodley is professor emerita of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and the first holder of the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education.

Reviews+

“Moodley’s life journey and reflections provide invaluable food for thought for teachers involved in current attempts to promote racial inclusiveness and move higher education beyond the legacy of its colonial past.”

—Ethnic and Racial Studies

“Eminently readable, clearly stated with a strong narrative arc, Race, Culture, and Politics in Education: A Global Journey From South Africa is grounded in the sociology of education that has been Moodley’s life and work, most recently at the University of British Columbia, where she was the first holder of the David Lam Chair of Multicultural Studies. Her teaching style encourages discovery rather than indoctrination, guiding readers to absorb and synthesize new information to help them navigate our modern era where identity is key.”

—The Ormsby Review

“This text is highly recommended for those who are interested in multicultural education and issues of inclusion. It provides an introspective narrative from a highly respected and decorated scholar.”

—Teachers College Record

“A tour de force, this fascinating autobiography of a noted South Africa–born sociologist illuminates the lived experience of racial marginalization in a diversity of nations and the pivotal role of family, schools, and politics in promoting resilience. Unique in its global reach, Moodley’s journey gives readers new hope that educating for political literacy might reduce the insidious web of societal racism.”
—Rhona S. Weinstein, professor, the Graduate School in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

“I left my reading of Kogila Moodley’s Race, Culture, and Politics in Education not simply with an appreciation of the delicate stitching together of social theory, political commentary, and memory that she achieves here, but with deep admiration of her extraordinary capacity to hold on to her humanness in the midst of a sustained assault on her and her family’s dignity. This book is memorable just for that.”
—Crain Soudien, professor and CEO, Human Sciences Research Council

“Kogila Moodley combines an unfailing eye for telling details and ironic turns with an insightful social analysis of race and culture in this remarkable journey through historic junctures on three continents. With rewarding excursions into Gandhi’s and Mandela’s contributions to this postcolonial history, alongside heartfelt family portraits, Moodley provides an engaging guide to a political literacy that can help readers navigate and act on the present era.”
—John Willinsky, Khosla Family Professor, Stanford University

“Kogila Moodley’s new book—part personal memoir, part family history, and part scholarly analysis—provides a fresh perspective on apartheid South Africa. An engaging and compelling read, and an important new text for scholars of race and education.”
—Audrey Osler, professor of education and director of the Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights Education, University of Leeds

“In this brilliantly crafted and engaging book, readers can walk with Kogila Moodley as she traverses her life, thoughtfully weaving insights about race, class, and gender. This is must reading for anyone who is interested in understanding how to negotiate challenges, construct opportunities, and make a difference in our multicultural world with grace, humor, and love.”
—Cherry A. McGee Banks, professor emeritus, School of Educational Studies, University of Washington, Bothell

Contents+

Contents (Tentative)

Series Foreword James A. Banks

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1.  Expropriation and Dislocation

2.  Relatives, Parents and Customs
My Mother’s Story
My Father’s Story

3.  Experiences in Apartheid Education
Elementary School
Secondary School
University Education

4.  Learning from Gandhi and Mandela: Lessons in Leadership

5.  A Visiting Student in the United States

6.  Teaching at a Tribal College

7.  An Enduring Friendship

8.  Germany: Cultural, Linguistic and Ideological
Border Crossings

9.  Experiences in Egypt: My Entry to the Middle East

10.  An Immigrant in Canada
Forays Into Introspective Conscienticization
Attempts at Institutional Transformation

11.  Political Literacy as Strategy to Combat Bigotry

Conclusion: Lessons Learned From Five Different Countries for Teaching Political Literacy
South Africa

The United States
Germany
Canada
Egypt and the Middle East

Afterword Sonia Nieto

References

Index

About the Author

$34.95

Professors: Request an Exam Copy

Print copies available for US orders only. For orders outside the US, see our international distributors.

Books In This Series
Race, Curriculum, and the Politics of Educational Justice
Race, Curriculum, and the Politics of Educational Justice
Fostering School–Family Relationships in Multicultural Communities
Fostering School–Family Relationships in Multicultural Communities
Critical Theory, Methods, and Design in Educational Research
Critical Theory, Methods, and Design in Educational Research
Affirming Student Ethnic Identities
Affirming Student Ethnic Identities
Critical Ethnic Studies and the Global Pursuit of Justice
Critical Ethnic Studies and the Global Pursuit of Justice
Let's Talk About DEI
Let's Talk About DEI
Why Historically Black Colleges and Universities Matter
Why Historically Black Colleges and Universities Matter
Hidden in Blackness
Hidden in Blackness
"To Remain an Indian"
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