Description
Book SynopsisCompares two challenges made to American public school curricula in the 1980s and 1990s. This book identifies similarities between proponents of Afrocentrism and creationism, accounts for their differential outcomes, and draws important conclusions for the study of culture, organizations, and social movements.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2003 Best Book Award, American Sociology Association Winner of the Distinguished Scholarship Award, Pacific Sociological Association Winner of the Outstanding Book Award, American Educational Research Association "[A] provocative and engaging book... As different as the two movements and their constituents were, Binder astutely shows that both used the rhetoric of pluralism, among other shared tactics, to make their cases."--Teacher "A useful addition to the corpus of social movement studies. Amy Binder presents a valuable analysis of attempts to change an institution."--Joseph R. Gusfield, Contemporary Sociology "Definitely worth reading, both as a good introduction to the literature on social movements and to what such analyses can bring to scholarship on the politics of educational reforms. It also has significant things to say both to those of us who are concerned about how the extension of democracy can function in paradoxical ways in education and to those readers who have a commitment to understanding the complexities of cultural pluralism and multiculturalism."--Michael Apple, Educational Policy "Binder carefully considers the scholarly literature of social movements and makes a contribution to it by examining social movements focusing on the impact of these movements on subnational governmental units."--Choice
Table of ContentsPreface vii One: Introduction to Afrocentrism and Creationism, Challengers to Educational "Injustice "1 Two: The Challengers 29 Three: History of the Three Afrocentric Cases: Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York State 53 Four: Cultural, Political, and Organizational Factors Influencing Afrocentric Outcomes 104 Five: History of the Four Creationist Cases: Louisiana State, California State, Vista, California, and Kansas State 136 Six: Cultural, Political, and Organizational Factors Influencing Creationist Outcomes 194 Seven: Making More Institutional the Study of Challenge 216 Appendix 245 Notes 249 References 285 Index 297
