ERIC Number: EJ1261350
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-3324
EISSN: N/A
Shaking the "Bad Boys": Troubling the Criminalization of Black Boys' Childhood Play, Hegemonic White Masculinity and Femininity, and the "School Playground-to-Prison Pipeline"
Race, Ethnicity and Education, v23 n5 p673-692 2020
Few studies have sought to understand the childhood play experiences of Black boys in early childhood education (ECE), and a majority of those that investigate them often socially construct Black boys' play as criminal, dangerous, and monstrous. Considering the dangers of hegemonic masculinity and femininity or the racial and gendered power and privilege White boys and girls bring to societal spaces including playgrounds, little is known about how such power influences the experiences of Black boys who play with them. In this conceptual paper, I draw on critical race theory (CRT) to trouble the criminalization of Black boys' childhood play and hegemonic White masculinity and femininity, which can prove violent and dehumanizing to Black boys. As such, I suggest that similar to the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP), Black boys may become victims of what I call the "school playground-to-prison pipeline (SPTPP)" as a consequence of White children's accusations, fears, misperceptions, and misreadings of Black boys' play. Recommendations are provided for teacher and ECE to better support Black boys and the cross-cultural play interactions between them and White children.
Descriptors: African American Students, Males, Early Childhood Education, Play, Cultural Influences, Masculinity, Femininity, Student Experience, Racial Bias, White Students, Critical Theory, Race, Playgrounds, Early Childhood Teachers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A