Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror: Educational Responses(360 Counterpoints)

Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror: Educational Responses examines how global financial and socio-political systems propagate a lopsided dialectic of current events that influences teachers’ pedagogies of 9/11 and the War on Terror. The lopsided dialectic is one that encourages patriotism and militarism, conceals imperialism, and shuts out Muslim voices. Interviews with Muslim American students and high school teachers plus textual analysis of high school U.S. history textbooks demonstrate how curriculum and educators impact marginalized students’ identities and sense of belonging. As Muslim students describe their isolation and fear, and teachers discuss the challenges they face, readers will also learn how "us versus them" rhetoric deflects attention from the erosion of democratic values and the underlying socio-economic reasons for the War on Terror. Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror: Educational Responses is easy-to-read and directed toward teachers, scholars, and curriculum developers, and includes actionable suggestions for teaching these topics in a balanced and holistic way. The ultimate goal of Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror: Educational Responses is to grow critical dialectical pedagogy (CDP), a new introduction to the field of critical pedagogy, in order to nurture the next generation of global citizens. Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror: Educational Responses can be used in teacher training, curriculum and instruction, multicultural education, secondary social studies education, research in education courses, as well as other areas of instruction.

Table of Contents:
Preface – Acknowledgments – Uncovering the Lopsided Dialectic of 9/11 and the War on Terror – How Teaching Can Change the World? – Meet the Teachers – Listening to the Missing Voices – You Are What You Read: Textbooks and the Lopsided Dialectic – How Islamophobia Became Entertainment – Islamophobia and What It Might be Hiding from You – Solutions in Critical Dialectical Pedagogy (CDP) – Thinking Critically Is Not Enough – Dialectics and the Future of Democracy: Next Steps – Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together – Index.

About the Author :
Randa Elbih earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. She is Assistant Professor of Social Studies and Urban Education at The University of Saint Joseph, Connecticut, and has published in The Social Studies and Educational Studies.

Review :
"This book provides timely qualitative research on how the impact of 9/11 and the ongoing ‘War on Terror’ has affected schooling in America. This is a thorough and engaging study of the dialectics produced by the circumstances following the 9/11 tragedy through the narratives of stakeholders—students and teachers—as well as through examining curricular bias. This is a much-needed educational intervention that will help raise awareness of the educational stakes involved in countering Islamophobia in times of war and terror." —Jasmin Zine, Professor of Sociology, Wilfrid Laurier University "In a time of growing global White Supremacy and mounting hostility against Muslims and other minorities, it is crucial to rethink Paulo Freire’s emancipatory pedagogy. This book builds on Pedagogy of the Oppressed and introduces an original dialectical framework to help teachers unlock the secrets behind the damaging dialectic and improve their curriculum and instruction of 9/11, the War on Terror, and Muslims. The book is easy to read and will engage teachers, scholars, and curriculum developers in an empirical and intellectual journey." —Ricky Lee Allen, Associate Professor of Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies, University of New Mexico "In the post-9/11 United States, classrooms have too often become spaces of paranoia and hostility against Muslim American youth. This powerful book proposes an original dialectical pedagogy that can work past misrepresentations and caricatures in curriculum and the media to include the voices of students. Elbih grounds her urgent practical recommendations for educators in her own empirical investigation, as well as in a crucial political and historical contextualization of Islamophobia that has been missing until now in the field of education. Theoretically astute and comprehensively researched, Dialectics of 9/11 and the War on Terror is necessary reading for all teachers, scholars, and cultural workers committed to supporting Muslim American students in these difficult times." —Noah De Lissovoy, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education, University of Texas at Austin