Megan Bang (Ojibwe and Italian descent) is a Professor of the Learning Sciences and Psychology at Northwestern University and is currently serving as the Senior Vice President at the Spencer Foundation. Dr. Bang's research focuses on the complexities of navigating multiple meaning systems in creating and implementing more effective and just…

Conflictual relations between the owners of Foxwoods Casino and Resort, who are American Indians, and the white residents of Ledyard and nearby Preston and North Stonington townships in southeastern Connecticut are long-standing. They have flared up on numerous occasions and especially since 1982 when the Mashantucket Pequots considered building a…

Economic changes and the machinations of the treadmill of production have dramatically reduced the number of jobs provided by extractive industries, such as mining and timber, in the United States and other affluent nations in the post-World War II era. As the importance of these industries to national, regional, and local economies wanes,…

In this essay, the author examines the attitudes that people in Hawai'i have about Hawai'i Creole. The author first describes the background of the language and explores educators' views from the 1920s to 1940s about Hawai'i Creole (HC), which was first viewed as the the "Pidgin problem" in Hawai'i. The frustrations expressed by…

This commentary article focuses on the theme of "migration and communities." It raises a number of important concerns inherent in the report. The report mistakenly adopts the "sameness" approach, thus negating Britain's unprecedented super-diversity that is the result of increasing migration. It wrongly assumes that all migrants are the same and…

Chaoyang township is one of the poorest townships in a national-level impoverished county in the southwest. Statistics show that the average per capita income for farming families was RMB1,931 per year in 2006. Before the highway came through the area, the residents of Chaoyang township had to walk for two whole days across mountain ranges to get…

Uses the concepts of slogans and slogan systems to examine the degree to which educational innovations convey meanings that differ from their ostensible purpose. As an example, discusses the organization and use of slogans in a Federally funded instructional program. (Author/GC)

Discusses a community's opinion and reaction to corporate hog farms. Acknowledges the vivid demonstration of literacy in these communities. Considers how these citizens use their literacy as political agents--just like they were taught to do in civics classes in high school--to participate in decisions affecting their lives. Considers the…

Suggests that Americans often overlook the importance of historic preservation because of prevailing ideas of progress that devalue the past and a nouveau riche mentality embarrassed by the past. Points out the irreplaceable value of local landmarks that tie a community to its past. Describes instances where ordinary people pooled their resources…

Beliefs and values evolve within communities through daily experience. Information gained from experience is translated into knowledge through the filter of beliefs and values. Community development facilitators should add their knowledge base to the community's to produce new knowledge and a synthesis of new cultural habits. (SK)

Maintains that, in children's theater, it is the responsibility of an individual theater to engage and educate its community, enact policies detailing its moral and ethical standards, and let the community know (via brochures, displays, etc.) what type of children's theater it produces. (SR)

Develops a phenomenological perspective of silence and illustrates its principles through a study of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, discussing the memorial as an architectural instance of object-silence. Suggests that the meanings individuals find at the memorial can be distinguished in terms of various public signs of understanding that…

Urges the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) to become more actively involved in defending adolescent literature from censorship. Suggests ways for ALAN members to fight censorship both locally and nationally. (MM)

Contends that the movement toward individualism in the United States has undercut the legitimacy of the community and public realm. Examines the extreme historical positions of individualists (Whigs) and collectivists (Tories) and argues for a synthesis between the two that invests rights in both the person and society and views individuals and…

Examines American Indian communities' attitudes toward social science research and Anglo social science researchers. Discusses the positive role that Indian social scientists can play in improving the quantity and quality of research conducted in Indian communities. (Author/GC)