Description

Citizenship Normalizing and White Preservice Social Studies Teachers

This article interrogates the intersection of cultural and civic identities produced in the context of white, middle-class preservice teachers. It draws on theories of whiteness and identity production to examine how a group of preservice teachers constructed their own civic identities along with their vision for citizenship education in the area of social studies. Data revealed that the normalization of citizenship to a white mainstream standard was the basis of these future teachers’ production of their civic identities and their practice as civic educators. Given the growing cultural and racial disconnect between our nation’s teachers and public school Latino students, these authors argue that the normalization of citizenship must be acknowledged, called into question, and contested by educational researchers and educators.

citizenship, normalization, white preservice teachers

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 35, No. 1 (2008): 91-108