Identity-Based Student Activism: Power and Oppression on College Campuses

Historically and contemporarily, student activists have worked to address oppression on college and university campuses. This book explores the experiences of students engaged in identity-based activism today as it relates to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of oppression. Grounded by a national study on student activism and the authors’ combined 40 years of experience working in higher education, Identity-Based Student Activism uses a critical, power-conscious lens to unpack the history of identity-based activism, relationships between activists and administrators, and student activism as labor. This book provides an opportunity for administrators, educators, faculty, and student activists to reflect on their current ideas and behaviors around activism and consider new ways for improving their relationships with each other, and ultimately, their campus climates.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Setting the Stage: Foundations, History, and Contexts 1: Introduction 2: Historical and Current Contexts for Identity-Based Student Activism on U.S. College Campuses 3: Situating the Study of Identity-Based Activism on U.S. College Campuses Part II: Stories of Student Activists and Supportive Educators 4: Student Activists’ Motivations, Strategies, and Wisdom 5: Student Activism As Labor 6: Student Activists’ Relationships with Educators & Administrators 7: Recommendations for Educators, Administrators, and Faculty

About the Author :
Chris Linder is an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Utah, USA. Stephen John Quaye is an associate professor of higher education and student affairs at the Ohio State University, USA, and an associate editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Alex C. Lange is a doctoral student of higher education and student affairs at the University of Iowa, USA. Meg E. Evans is a doctoral student of student affairs administration at the University of Georgia, USA. Terah J. Stewart is an assistant professor of student affairs and higher education at Iowa State University, USA.

Review :
"Identity-Based Student Activism is an offering to educators in higher education who have witnessed the rise of student activism over the last several years and understand that this is simply the beginning… The authors have brilliantly developed an intersectional analysis about the ways student activists interrogate and demand change from their universities, and ultimately, the authors determine true transformation begins with demanding that higher education administrators and educators start to engage and question their own privilege and identity in this historical moment." —from the Foreword by Tiffany R. Smith, Senior Coordinator, Multicultural Services and Programs, University of Georgia "Based on impressive research, the authors adeptly use a power-conscious framework and critical narrative methods to provide compelling stories of identity-based activism on colleges and universities. This insightful contribution to understanding campus activism in the 21st century not only explicates how students challenge oppression, but also offers striking recommendations on how higher education can better support identity-based activism. The book will undoubtedly become a needed reading for those in higher education dedicated to fostering equity and change." —Christopher Broadhurst, Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration, Program Coordinator, Masters in Higher Education Administration, The University of New Orleans "Identity-Based Student Activism unearths the fault lines of U.S. higher education resistance scholarship while mapping a loving terrain of possibility through landscapes of contradiction." —Amalia Dache, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania "This book shows how direct action from students provides the creative tension needed to force administrations to confront those issues that they have historically--and dangerously--avoided. Identity-Based Student Activism shows is absolutely useful for students, professors, and administrators alike." —Roderick A. Ferguson, Professor of African American and Gender Studies, the University of Illinois, Chicago "Identity-Based Student Activism brilliantly nuances the complexities of activism for both students and college administrators as they challenge us to think more critically about the notion of labor and the impacts of placing equity and inclusion work on the backs of minoritized groups. The powerful voices in this book can help guide college leaders (re)image new ways to engage with student leaders and college administrators as activism surges on college campuses. Given the current political climate, this book is a must have for anyone interested in creating humane and dignifying college spaces." —Susana M. Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Co-Director of the Higher Education Leadership Program, Colorado State University