A lot of us have reflected on Howard's (2008) chapter in the Handbook; however, I find it an interesting chapter to connect to new readings. For example, on page 251, Howard concludes, "The act of writing, particularly the aspiration to be a writer, has created a distance between writers and their communities, even when, or especially when, they aspired to speak for their community."
For my inquiry paper, I have been reading many articles that tie into African American identity and academic achievement. Many of the research questions stem from conclusions Ogbu & Farnham (1986) developed. These researchers described the fear of "acting white" as the signifcant factor that explains why African American students sometimes do not achieve well in our schools. Ogbu (2003) also discussed this theory in his analysis of the African American students in Shaker Heights.
I have found many articles that primarily want to argue against Ogbu's theory, AND I've found an article where Ogbu is trying to defend his original statements and explain his stance that has been miscontrued. As I've read Ogbu's work, I thought his insights were profound and articulate. BUT others have found him offensive and worked against his theories. I wonder if this is an example of a writer trying to speak into his community and finding resistance and angst?
True, his thoughts have introduced many other interesting articles and discussions; however, I wonder how many have come at his expense?
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These kinds of debates really point to the need for us all to essentialize people and their viewpoints, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of a research paper that a student in the grad class that I teach at CSU turned in this summer. In it, she argued that in order to help gifted, African American students suceed, we needed to resegregate schools. Of course, I needed to control my knee-jerk reaction that this was profoundly wrong. She did make some persuasive points, but in the end, I wasn't swayed. I do think that some of the research on single sex education applies here as well: do girls do better when they aren't afraid of looking less "feminine" and achieveing in math and science classes? Would it help to have more supports in place for our African American students so they could succeed in 'safe' environments? I really look forward to hearing more about this.
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