Silencing Racism: Remembering and Forgetting Race and Racism in 11th-Grade U.S. History Classes

• In Event: 56.075 - Affirming Diversity in the Social Studies

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of representations of race and racism in three 11th grade US history classrooms. Utilizing sociocultural analysis (Wertsch, 1991, 1998, 2002) I document and explain how racism was remembered and forgotten in the enacted curriculum and in particular how race was eventually decoupled from racism as racism came to be understood as prejudice or discrimination against any individual or group. I conclude by arguing that inquiry into race and racism should be a central purpose of the US history curriculum to provide students with more sophisticated understandings of race and the experiences of different groups with racism in US history.

Author

• John S. Wills, University of California - Riverside