In this article the author uses the context of our contemporary social climate, with its various challenges to democratic vitality and social justice, to reconstruct a theory of social progress. Specifically, he attempts a pragmatic reconstruction of Marx's historical materialism, not as a totalizing ideology, but as a method of analysis for…

Reviewing the literature on critical pedagogy (CP) and democratic education (DE) reveals that very little has been written comparing the two (Knight and Pearl in Urban Rev 32(2):197-226, 2000). After reading the Urban Review article by Knight and Pearl (2000)--the only publication explicitly comparing the two approaches to education--I was…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of one school's teacher-driven professional development effort to address culturally responsive teaching practices in a large district in a Midwestern state. During the 2011-2012 school year, a team of teachers and principals began a three-year long effort to provide job-embedded professional…

This Chicana Critical Feminist Testimonio reveals a Mexican/Mexican-American Ethic of Care and Testimonios of struggle and survival informing curriculum and pedagogy of one Mexican/Mexican-American female educator of predominantly Mexican/Mexican-American students. This work is part of a larger ethnographic study conducted through multiple…

"A Decolonizing Encounter" examines the effects of western colonialism on historically marginalized and colonized populations living both in the West and the "third world". Specifically, it explores crucial issues such as the decolonizing of schools and communities of color; the decentralization of power of the capitalist and…

This paper is a review of current practice in narrative therapy with a focus on how it is attractive and useful for therapists who wish to work for social justice. The authors describe narrative therapy's roots in poststructuralist philosophy and social science. They illustrate its major theoretical constructs, including the "narrative metaphor,"…

Against the menacing shadow of neoliberalism, which promotes individualism and competition, the author illustrates in this paper the need for group teaching. Group teaching as a method of instruction and learning fosters community bonds, solidarity, and is more effective teaching. Group teaching is a democratic tool necessary for society to…

This paper explores the meaning of praxis through the personal and professional journey of the author, emphasizing the thoughts of major proponents of praxis and their contributions in the field. What emerges through this exploration is that praxis is not knowing but putting the knowing into action for the betterment of all humankind through…

Drawing on scholarship in Critical Pedagogy, this article speaks to the debate about pedagogical approaches within social justice education (SJE). The article addresses itself to privileged positionality within the context of university-based SJE, with a specific focus on race and whiteness. As a conceptual piece, it addresses some key…

This article examines a question that white students often ask when they learn about their role in systemic racial oppression: "Why am I responsible?" I argue that the conception of responsibility that grounds this question is focused on causality and individual action and makes it difficult for white students to understand how within the context…

For the last decade Michelle Kamhi has been prominent in her critique of contemporary art education. In her philosophy she positions herself as an essentialist who believes there are essential masterworks that define fine art, and the curriculum in art should teach fine art only. Her definition of fine art focuses on representation in painting and…

This article uses critical theoretical methods to reconsider the potential of "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" in urban education. It finds "Brown" as a potentially useful tool for coconstructing critical race pedagogy of hope that involves (a) Socratic questioning of the endemic nature of racism and power dynamics of…

In this study, the pedagogies of the home used by Latinos as they attend schools in the USA are highlighted. We hope to use the stories of Arturo and Ruben, successful Latinos, as a means to show that Latinos are developing strategies that can be shared through the telling of their stories and to claim the value of voicing the difficult realities…

Ellsworth's article entitled "Why doesn't this feel empowering? Working through the repressive myths of critical pedagogy" raises issues about the complex dynamics of implementing critical pedagogy in real classrooms, and the difficulties and paradoxes of putting the empowerment rhetoric into practice. This article analyses the…

In this article, we tackle the disadvantaging conditions of zero tolerance policies in school settings and advocate using an alternative approach--critical restorative justice through peacemaking circles--to nurture resilience and open opportunity at the school level. In the process, this article builds on theory and qualitative research and…