The Racialized Political Economy of Education: Explorations of Antiblackness Across K–16

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium analyzes the centrality of anti-Blackness in the unfolding of neoliberalism in education by engaging in critical analyses of various aspects of the K-12 and higher education systems from digital surveillance, the institution of sport, for-profit education, and school choice. By leveraging the theoretical contributions of Black Studies scholars, this panel builds on the tradition of scholars who “uncompromisingly fought for the perceived interests of Black people, but in a language that addressed the totality of society’s concerns (Manning, 2000, p.33)”. The authors map the terrain of the political economy of education to illuminate alternative possibilities for Black life, which extend beyond efforts narrowly tailored to educational reform and advance intersectional and anti-capitalist visions for Black futures.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Christien Tompkins, Rutgers University

Papers

• The Racialized Political Economy of Sport in Higher Education - Rachel Roberson, University of California - Berkeley

• The Political Economy of Risky Credentials: Proprietary Education and the Predation of Black Women - Caleb Emmanuel Dawson, University of California - Berkeley

• Digitizing Antiblackness: The Politics of Black Education in the Digital Economy - Daniel Vargas, University of California - Berkeley

• The Political Economy of Charter Expansion: Deregulation, Discipline, and Black Communities - Rachel Williams, University of California - Berkeley

Discussant

• Christien Tompkins, Rutgers University