"He Wants to Get Rid of All the Muslims": Student Perspectives on Donald Trump

• In Event: 18.072 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 18.072-13 - Addressing Social Justice and Democracy in the Social Studies

Abstract

As the number of culturally and linguistically diverse students in U.S. schools grows, the need for social studies educators to understand learners in the “new mainstream” (Enright, 2011) also increases. This paper uses a multiple case study approach to examine the perspectives of middle school students of Muslim and Mexican backgrounds vis-à-vis Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The findings suggest that students linked Trump and his rhetoric to cultural and historical examples of discrimination. The present case provides an important window into the experiences and perspectives of targeted or “marginalized” youth (Costello, 2016). The findings have implications for the culturally responsive teaching and learning of social studies and the preparation of “knowledgeable, thinking, and active citizens” (NCSS, 2013).

Author

• Paul J. Yoder, Eastern Mennonite University