This chapter explores the effects of historical and current racism on the educational experiences of American Black males. The authors use critical race theory to illustrate how assumptions about culture and gender have subverted the egalitarian ideals of adult education. Teachers and students are urged to use critical reflection and open…

Multiculturalism and diversity are often discussed in tandem. Indeed it is difficult to discuss one without clarifying the meaning of the other. This conversation can be further complicated by the emotional reactions that often accompany the exchange. In this article, the authors offer practical and educational-centered working definitions of…

Race affects teaching and learning overtly and covertly. Adult education literature tends to adopt one of the following perspectives: color blind, multicultural, or social justice. Practitioners should reflect on how race affects the teaching environment in order to understand their own cultural history, sociopolitical forces at work, and how…

Includes a review by Malcolm of the new Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education and proceedings of a symposium on the handbook from the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (31st, London, England, July 2001). Addresses issues of knowledge production in the education of adults. (Contains 23…

Review of journals, conference proceedings, and the ERIC database reveals scant discussion of race and ethnicity in adult education from 1950-1980. The significant increases in research on minorities since then was partly inspired by the increase in diversity of teachers and learners in the field. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Comparison of two graduate courses revealed the complex ways in which power relations based on race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation interact with theories of mastery, voice, authority, and positionality. Teacher and learner power relations particularly influenced classroom dynamics. (SK)

Personal examples of the authors' experience of race and gender in career development are used as a springboard to a discussion of career socialization, external obstacles faced by women, mentoring, and the implications for adult education. (SK)

Review of adult education literature reveals the absence of the concept of whiteness and three types of responses: color- blind perspectives, multicultural education, and social justice issues. To widen access involves "barrier thinking": recognition of the implicit messages of discrimination the academy delivers to racial minorities.…

This qualitative study isolated the participation and retention issues of Black graduate women who were enrolled in four departments within the College of Education at a major research university. By identifying factors that contributed to and hindered their successful educational tenures, this study details how the societal issues of gender, race…

Explores the intricacies of researching within one's own culture. Addresses issues that arose when an African-American woman researcher interviewed other African-American women. Explores how race and gender brought the author closer to the participants and the effects of color differences and perceived class differences. (CMK)

Interviews and observations of seven African-American female math teachers in postsecondary institutions showed how their positionality affected their experiences by (1) producing a teaching philosophy based on a history of marginalization; (2) raising credibility issues because of race and gender; and (3) affecting classroom interaction and…