People confront stereotypes every day, both in and out of the classroom. Some ideas have been carried in the collective memory and classroom textbooks for so long they are generally recognized as fact. Many are constantly being reinforced by personal experiences, family discussions, and Hollywood productions as well. The distinct advantage to…

"Difficult" or "challenging" topics to teach include racism, violence, genocide, bullying, gangs, abuse (physical, emotional, and substance), slavery, suffering, hatred, terrorism, war, disease, loss, addiction, and more. But by confronting them with students, in the safety of a classroom through thoughtfully constructed lessons (ones that take…

This paper examines the depiction of Alice in illustrated versions of "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. The primary concern was to determine if the character of Alice had changed historically through the interpretation of different illustrators and to determine what the changes were and what their impact might have on the…

Presents a historical perspective on the meaning of senility, representing a significant change in beliefs about the nature of old age. Before the nineteenth century, to be senile meant simply to be old. By the late nineteenth century, old age was assumed to be synonymous with debilitating illness. (JAC)

Semantically traced, over time, terms used to represent old people, aging, and effects of aging. Major themes found included differences between terms used for old men and old women; ambiguity of terms; older people subjected to more pejoratives than in past; and terms characterizing the old being focused on negative and debilitative effects of…

Successive waves of immigrants were classified as criminal and ignorant by ethnicity in the 19th and 20th centuries. These stereotypes, as well as efforts of public schools and correctional education to assimilate these groups, may be compared to today's arguments to limit immigration. (SK)

Introduces the special issue and discusses the historical failure of American government to redress the injustices suffered by African Americans and the role of scholars in creating and perpetuating racist stereotypes. Emphasizes the need to address issues of Black health and crime. (FMW)

Despite recent research by regional historians, Appalachian museums continue to collect and exhibit artifacts that conform to a century-old "canon" romanticizing pioneer life. Within this framework, Appalachian craft objects are considered low-status compared to the material culture of colonial elites exhibited in major urban museums.…

Traces the development and political use of the racist stereotype of the degenerate Black family from the early 1800s to the present. Highlights basic misconceptions about the unbridled sexuality of Black "superstuds" and "mammas." Urges Black women to take the lead in defining the family as a unifying factor in society. (FMW)

The history of racism in Australia is inextricably linked with prevailing ideologies of rural Australia, supported strongly by educational discourses of deficit and disadvantage. A challenge for the Reconciliation Movement will be to make an effective contribution to the development of anti-racist and non-racist practices in rural schooling.…

The Indian woman has been viewed as a subservient and oppressed female; often overlooked were the economic, social and political positions women held within tribal societies. The biographies and autobiographies of Indian women that have been obtained over the last century can be used to examine this contradiction in perspectives. These accounts…

Focuses on librarians' search for their place in American popular culture, 1876-1950. Discussion covers preposterous caricatures, citations to male and female librarians in "Library Literature," fictional librarians, battle of sexes, and a glamorous image as portrayed in films and theater. Annotated list of 18 fictional works is…

Educational exchange between American Indians and outsiders is examined in three periods. From first contact to the mid-1800s, knowledge was exchanged relatively equally. From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, acculturation was imposed upon American Indians. The political liberalism of the 1960s spawned renewed interest in Indian culture and rights,…

For 28 years after founding the Appalachian Journal in 1972, Jerry Williamson's sardonic sense of humor and troublemaker disposition challenged previous understandings of Appalachia and forced readers to view the region in a new light. Features, innovations, and people that Dr. Williamson employed to make this publication preeminent in the field…

Traces and compares the histories of Black and American-Indian participation in collegiate and professional football. Discusses athletic participation by minority groups as a challenge to segregation and notions of White superiority; as a challenge to the persistence of racist stereotypes in media coverage; and as a foundation for the…