Ethnic Studies

In this moment of heightened political repression, racial retrenchment, and global anti-Blackness, the urgency of confronting anti-Blackness within, through, and across communities of color has never been greater. As book bans spread, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is vilified, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are dismantled, we must reckon with the reality that anti-Blackness is not an aberration, but an organizing logic of racial formation and global white supremacy. This edited volume brings together scholars, educators, and community organizers to interrogate the ways anti-Blackness is perpetuated within / through / across Latinx and Asian American communities—and the complex, often contradictory practices of complicity, resistance, and solidarity that emerge in response. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from disciplines / professions like education, ethnic studies, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, social work, and gender studies, Asian and Latinx Anti-Blackness in Schools and Communities: Complicated Stories of Complicity and Resistance refuses simplistic narratives that position non-Black communities of color solely as victims or solely as perpetrators. Instead, contributors adopt a both/and framework, naming the ways Latinx and Asian communities have benefited from proximity to whiteness (as it relates to anti-Blackness) while also highlighting the histories, ruptures, and refusals that open / reveal possibilities for coalition and collective liberation. Organized into three sections—Anti-Blackness With/In, Through, and Among Latinx & Asian Communities, Geographies and Spaces; Anti-Blackness in Latinx & Asian Teaching, Pedagogy, and Curriculum; and Anti-Blackness and the Precarity of Racial Categories—the chapters combine empirical research, conceptual essays, narrative, and autoethnographies. Together, they explore topics such as racial formation, racial hierarchy, racial triangulation, the intersections of Blackness, the policing of language and accent, and the lived experiences of multiracial individuals navigating contested racial boundaries. The book situates these discussions within the shifting demographic and political landscape of the United States, where the 2020 Census revealed a decline in the white population alongside an increase in racial diversity, and where Kamala Harris’s historic tenure as the first Black and Asian American Vice President (and presidential candidate) illuminated both the promise of representation and the persistence of racial hierarchy. These contexts underscore a central question animating the volume: How do Latinx and Asian communities—within schools, neighborhoods, and transnational networks—navigate the tensions between inclusion and erasure of Blackness in the broader racial imaginary? Ultimately, this volume is both critique and invitation. It challenges readers to: confront how anti-Blackness is reproduced in everyday practices and institutional structures; to reckon with the privileges and harms tied to racialized positioning; and to imagine relational, historical, and spatial practices of accountability within / through / and among Latinx and Asian communities. By centering the voices of scholars and storytellers committed to racial justice, Asian and Latinx Anti-Blackness in Schools and Communities offers not only a sharper understanding of racial dynamics beyond the Black–white binary, the impact of the binary, but also concrete pathways toward dismantling anti-Blackness and building enduring, justice-oriented solidarity.

We Are Children of the Corn/Somos Hija/o/xs del Maíz: Husks of Hope, Resistance, and Latina/o/x Educational Success is a collection of empirical studies that explores the complex and multi-faceted journeys of Latina/o/x students. With maíz (corn) as the guiding symbol, this book incorporates indigenous teachings and knowledge to highlight the pillars and resources of support—referred to as “husks”—that nurture Latina/o/x students' growth, resilience, and achievement as they navigate the U.S. schooling system. This anthology offers examples that underscore the role of schools, families, and communities in shaping Latina/o/x students’ trajectories from pre-K to higher education.The volume builds upon the parent book, The Chicana/o/x Dream, by examining the intersectional experiences of Latina/o/x students in varied educational contexts, the resources they access within educational spaces, and their familial and community support systems. Using the Framework of Atravesada/o/xs Nepantleando (FAN), the authors in this anthology illustrate how Latina/o/x students become nepantlera/os—change agents who create and foster diverse cultural spaces and advocate for transformation. The book is organized around three themes: planting seeds to foster college access, cultivating students to foster college readiness, and harvesting to support college completion. Through these themes, the volume aims to empower educators, researchers, and policymakers to foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive school and community spaces that amplify Latina/o/x student voice and center their experiences.We Are Children of the Corn/Somos Hija/o/xs del Maíz is a valuable contribution to the scholarship on the Latina/o/x student experience in the United States. It is the perfect text for a variety of courses in Ethnic Studies and Cultural Studies.

Moments & Movements: Counterstories for Critical Asian American+ Studies in Education is a collection of counterstories born from community and shared commitments to challenge the ways diverse diasporas and experiences of people from the Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean are largely made invisible, silenced, and erased. By defying reductionist narratives, the collection highlights stories built upon generations of struggle, resistance, advocacy, and joy, that impart wisdom for the current moment and for Asian American+ movements in the future, particularly movements based in education. The book’s topics, located at the nexus of multiple and interconnected fields, such as education, race/ethnic studies, policy and community studies, have broad appeal to a cross-section of university academics; P-12 teachers and leaders; and community educators and activists. Using the framing of Critical Asian American+ Studies, the chapters in this volume emphasize criticality as central to the work of educators committed to more just futures. The plus (+) symbol in “Asian American+” highlights the volume’s efforts at diverse inclusion and openness to various groups under a broad umbrella geographic category, including voices of various Pasifika, Arab and Middle Eastern communities, without eliding their distinct histories, cultures, politics, and experiences or erasing the tensions within and across the broader category of Asian American studies. The book is organized thematically into four sections that reflect key moments in an ongoing movement. This organization acknowledges that readers may be at different points in their journeys towards developing more critical perspectives or knowledge of Asian American, Arab/Middle Eastern American, and Pasifika peoples’ experiences in education. The first section, "The Moment We Begin", focuses on foundational beginnings, telling stories of how the authors made important first steps in creating the change they wished to see in their educational spheres. The second section, "Building an Inclusive Movement", examines how educators sustain and deepen their work within and outside of classrooms. The third section, "Extending the Movement", then looks at Critical Asian American+ Studies outside of classrooms and schools by attending to educational leadership, families and teacher identities, policy arenas, and educational, cultural, and community activism. Finally, in the fourth section, "Envisioning New Worlds", chapters attend to what justice-focused, future-oriented movements might look like for Critical Asian American+ Studies. All too often, critical community-grounded work can feel daunting. This collection pushes beyond prescribed borders that separate our communities and separate us into our own educational spheres (e.g. P-12, higher education, teacher education) and roles (professor, teacher, principal, student). As one of the few edited collections with such diverse perspectives, this collection provides multiple paths forward in Asian American, Arab/Middle Eastern American, and Pasifika Studies, inspires with its counterstories of struggle and success, and challenges readers to consider their own next steps.Perfect for courses such as: Asian Americans in Education; Critical Studies in Education; Multicultural Education/Sociocultural Foundations in Education; Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies; Social Justice in Education; Critical Pedagogy and Education; Urban Education; Race, Ethnicity, and Education; Introduction to Education; School and Society

Repertories of Racial Resistance: Pedagogical Dreaming in Transborder Educational Spaces explores the integral role of dreaming and imagination in pursuing educational justice. The illuminating case studies in this book highlight how youth and adults utilize Transformative Methodologies not only to generate knowledge, but also promote social change. Transformative Methodologies are approaches to research and knowledge production that explicitly: center the perspectives, experiences, and expertise of BIPOC youth and communities as essential to research challenge conventional social science frameworks that relegate communities as “objects” of inquiry, and facilitate ethnically and racially minoritized young people to leverage their educational opportunities to express their agency, imagine emancipatory futures, and embody social change. Chapters in the book demonstrate how researchers, practitioners, and youth utilize methodologies such as participatory action research, testimonials, counter narratives and critical storytelling to make sense of social inequalities and envision futures rooted in justice. This text considers the intimate relationship between youth leadership and empowerment with dreaming and imagination. The book includes case studies based in diverse contexts such as K-12 schools, community-based settings, and higher education. Moreover, the text specifically highlights how BIPOC young people leverage their imaginations as part of their efforts to advocate for justice in their communities, families, and schools. This book emphasizes the importance for researchers and practitioners to leverage youth imagination and freedom dreams in creating culturally sustaining educational settings and promoting transformative youth leadership. This volume will be of interest to graduate, postgraduate students, researchers and academics in fields such as multicultural education, critical pedagogy, youth development and qualitative and participatory methodologies. Pre-service teachers, practitioners, and libraries will also find this book useful. Perfect for courses such as: Multicultural Education, Foundations of Education, Critical Pedagogy and Education, Youth Development, Out of School Time Education, Research Methodology, Anthropology and Education, Sociology and Education, and Youth Resistance