About the Book
Oftentimes, critical examinations of oppression solely focus on one type and neglect others. In this single volume, Pierre Orelus examines the way various forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, capitalism, sexism, and linguicism (linguistic discrimination) operate and limit the life chances people, across various race, class, language, and gender lines, have. Utilizing dialogue as a form of inquiry, Pierre Orelus conducts in-depth interviews carried over the course of two years with committed social justice educators and intellectuals from different fields and foci to examine the way and the extent to which these forms of oppression have profoundly affected the subjectivity and material conditions of women, poor working-class people, queer people, students of color, female faculty and faculty of color. This book presents a novel and critical perspective on race, social class, gender, and language issues echoed through authentic, collective, and dissident voices of these educators and intellectuals.
Table of Contents:
Dedication
Table of Contents
About the Interviewees
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Mapping and Engaging the Debate on Race, Racism, and Other "isms": From Slavery, the Civil Rights Era to Barack Obama's Presidency and Beyond
Introduction to Part One
Chapter 1: Unveiling Majoritarian Myths and Tales About Race and Racism
Chapter 2: The Fight Against Racism and Classism: A Conversation with David Gillborn
Chapter 3: Unmasking White Supremacy and Racism: A Conversation with Zeus Leonardo
Part Two: Against the Matrix of Oppressions: Toward a More Human World
Introduction to Part Two
Chapter 4: Unpacking Racial and Socio-economic Marginalizations: A Conversation With Howard Winant
Chapter 5: Re-examining Social Inequality in School and Beyond: A Conversation with Christine E. Sleeter
Chapter 6: Unveiling Discriminations in School and Society at Large: A Conversation with Sonia Nieto.
Chapter 7: Multiculturalism Matters More Than Ever: A Conversation With Carl A. Grant
Part T
About the Author :
Pierre W. Orelus is assistant professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at New Mexico State University.
Review :
Pierre Orelus has done what we have all wanted to do: sit and dialogue with an impressive array of scholars who examine injustice and intersectionality with insight and immediacy. Grab a chair and join the conversation—you won't be able to put this book down.
With well-crafted, provocative questions, Pierre Orelus skillfully interviews thirteen leading social justice educators and cross-border scholars who speak candidly of personal histories, experiences in the classroom, and their views about the nature of democracy, the future of capitalism, as well as the ways race, class, gender, and language overlap in webs of oppression. Searing, revelatory, inspiring, pathbreaking, and hard-to-stop reading.
Rethinking Race, Class, Language and Gender is first and foremost a rich theoretical critique that challenges the foundations of inequality and social hierarchies within American Society. Through historical analysis, in-depth interviews, and social investigation, the author examines the connections between various forms of social injustice. The author illustrates through many examples how oppression operates in the 21st Century, and how the disadvantage fights back. Rethinking Race, Class, Language and Gender forces us to explore how the ruling class exercises its power. It presents both an uncompromising vision and a brilliant analysis how American democracy should work.
This book overflows with wisdom, candor, and clarity as thirteen prominent educators/scholars immerse us in their personal experiences, political analyses, and future visions. The dialogue between these scholars and Pierre Orelus gives us a chance to look beneath the pages of their scholarly work and peer for a moment into their lifeworlds. Their words illuminate the depths and contours of global White supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy. But, the larger undercurrent of the book is a discourse of radical hope, which pushes us toward the surface as we struggle to emerge and, someday, draw breath in a new, truly just world.
An informative conversation by well-known scholars on the long arguments about race, gender, class, and language.
