Re: Krupskaya

nate (schmolze who-is-at students.wisc.edu)
Wed, 14 Apr 1999 17:34:34 -0500

> >On Tue, 13 Apr 1999, Phillip White wrote
> >>
> >> it is almost as if whites define themselves as whites through
> >>negation - they are not black.
> >
Also to a certain extent those in power/challenging power tend to view
others in negation. In particular progressive ideas - politics with its
emphasis on access and equity assume what the "power" represents is an
essential good which itself in not challenged. Bruner in *The Cultural of
Education* said something like the problem with educating a "poor" African
American child as if we were middleclass is you end up with a middleclass
child. He was referring to the social progressive era of the 60's in
relation to head start.

The whole process of looking at "diversity" race, class, gender etc. in the
educational discourse seems to be one of negation. While issues like
equity and access are of course important, it seems the questions of access
to what and for whom are also important. Is equity and access important so
more appropriate the values, beliefs etc. that are like the dominant
culture or is it for some other reason.

Nate