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Books > Social sciences > Education > Organization & management of education > General
Cosmopolitanism - the genuine appreciation of cultural and racial
diversity - is often associated with adult worldliness and
sophistication. Yet, as this innovative new book suggests, children
growing up in multicultural environments might be the most
cosmopolitan group of all. City Kids profiles fifth-graders in one
of New York City's most diverse public schools, detailing how they
collectively developed a sophisticated understanding of race that
challenged many of the stereotypes, myths, and commonplaces they
had learned from mainstream American culture. Anthropologist Maria
Kromidas spent over a year interviewing and observing these young
people both inside and outside the classroom, and she vividly
relates their sometimes awkward, often playful attempts to bridge
cultural rifts and reimagine racial categories. Kromidas looks at
how children learned race in their interactions with each other and
with teachers in five different areas - navigating urban space,
building friendships, carrying out schoolwork, dealing with the
school's disciplinary policies, and enacting sexualities. The
children's interactions in these areas contested and reframed race.
Even as Kromidas highlights the lively and quirky individuals
within this super-diverse group of kids, she presents their
communal ethos as a model for convivial living in multiracial
settings. By analyzing practices within the classroom, school, and
larger community, City Kids offers advice on how to nurture kids'
cosmopolitan tendencies, making it a valuable resource for
educators, parents, and anyone else who is concerned with America's
deep racial divides. Kromidas not only examines how we can teach
children about antiracism, but also considers what they might have
to teach us.
The reality of disability-of what it means to be disabled-has
primarily been written by non-disabled people. Disability and
disabled individuals are often described with pity, presented as
burdens, or are background figures in larger non-disabled
narratives. Redefining Disability challenges the outsider-dominated
approach to disability by centering the disabled experience. This
edited volume, featuring all disabled authors and creators,
combines traditional academic works with personal reflections,
visual art, and poetry. These works address disability and race,
sexuality and disability, disability cultures, accommodation,
self-diagnosis, and how we manage the obstacles ableist
institutions place in our way. The authors address a variety of
disabilities, including sensory, chronic pain, mobility,
developmental disorders, and mental illness. It is through these
testimonies that we hope to redefine disability on our terms; to
clearly state that disability is not a bad word, and that all
disabled lives have value. Redefining Disability is
interdisciplinary, with broad application for undergraduate
courses, graduate seminars, or to read for pleasure. Each entry
contains discussion questions and/or activities for educators to
use in the classroom.
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