Seeking contributions for an edited collection of essays on the subject of teaching matters of race in the college classroom in 21st century America.

With the establishment of Ethnic Studies and Area Studies departments in universities across the country during the 1960s, college classrooms became some of the first spaces in which to enter openly into contestatory dialogues of race. Within the American public sphere, these classrooms began to reflect the monumental tide that had turned as a result of the continued struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. Inside the curricula of Black Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Native American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Ethnic Studies departments professors from varied disciplines began the work of recuperating and critically analyzing the histories and traditions of racialized groups that had largely been ignored, marginalized, or misrepresented in the American academy, and American society in general, for hundreds of years. Though never completely without its challenges, the teaching of race in American universities in the latter half of the 20th century seemed to be supported, however tenuously, by social trajectories that appeared willing to confront questions of equality, oppression, racism, inclusion, democracy, and freedom. Recently, however, we have seen the tides begin to turn again in a dramatic fashion. One only need look at the furor over comments made by Ward Churchill, recently resigned chair of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the subsequent indictment of the department as a whole, and indeed the larger discipline itself. For varied reasons, including the rising tide of American neo-conservatism and the increasing push toward corporatizing universities, teaching matters of race has become an endeavor fraught with frustration and risk, even as it continues to be vitally necessary and rewarding.

The book will be primarily intended for educators, though also intended for an informed general audience interested in issues of education, race, and/or social justice. The collection of approximately fifteen original essays will examine various perspectives on challenges, large and small, that are confronted by professors teaching courses and topics regarding race on today’s campuses in the United States.

I envision that the essays will be combinations of personal narratives/memoir and critical pedagogy, with the aim of the collection as a whole being to provide a critical forum to share experiences, strategize pedagogy, and reimagine the approach to race education in the ever-changing American racial climate.

Proposals are welcome on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The effects of the corporate university
• Addressing white privilege in the classroom
• Professorial positioning in the class
• Issues of race in post-9/11 America
• The phenomena of PC culture (e.g. multiculturalism, colorblindness)
• The effects of Affirmative Action backlash
• The academic ghettoization of Ethnic Studies and Area Studies departments
• The place of activism in teaching race
• The vulnerability of students of color in race studies courses
• The effects of the “new racism” on college campuses

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please respond by December 31, 2005, with a brief (approximately 500 words) abstract of your proposed essay, accompanied by a brief biography. (No CVs please.) Abstracts and biographies should be sent electronically to laguerre@wsu.edu. E-mail Microsoft Word attachments only please.

For further information, or any questions, feel free to contact me.

Lisa Guerrero
Assistant Professor
Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies
Washington State University
Pullman, WA
laguerre@wsu.edu