"Narrative and Experience in Multicultural Education provides compelling stories that raise questions, advance understandings, and promote insight into the challenges and hopes of teaching for diversity and democracy. The works contained are compelling for the stories they tell and, as such, there is value in their presence. That the thoughtful reader can glean important lessons with respect to multicultural education and the value of narrative inquiry as academic disciplines is intellectual ′icing-on-the-cake.′" —Francisco Rios, University of Wyoming "This work is a very exciting, important, and badly needed piece of scholarship offered by some of the most leading-edge professors in the field. The diversity and diverse viewpoints it presents are unparalleled in the field of education." —Cheryl J. Craig, University of Houston "The narratives in this book allow readers to put a human face to an issue related to multicultural education. A reflective reader will begin to see himself/herself in the narratives of the text." —Edmundo F. Litton, Loyola Marymount University "The inclusion of chapters that deal with classroom realities elevate the text for education teacher candidates above those existing volumes that tend to deal with multi/inter-cultural issues in the abstract. One of the strengths of this volume is that it will resonate with new and experienced classroom practitioners." —Jon G. Bradley, McGill University Narrative and Experience in Multicultural Education explores the untapped potential that narrative and experiential approaches have for understanding multicultural issues in education. The research featured in the book reflects an exciting new way of thinking about human experience. The studies focus on the lives of students, teachers, parents, and communities, highlighting experiences seldom discussed in the literature. The authors are diverse and their inquiries are far ranging in terms of content, ethnic groups studied, and geographic locations. They also bring their personal experience to the inquiries, actively participate in the lives of the people with whom they work, care deeply about the concerns of their participants, and search for ways to act upon these concerns. Most importantly, the work emphasizes the understanding of experience and transforming this understanding into social and educational significance. Key Features • Addresses new ways to explore multicultural issues in education; rather than relying on theoretical generalizations, the book focuses explicitly on individual and group experiences • Emphasizes the transformation of experience into education, especially through the study of complex multicultural issues • Challenges readers′ assumptions of multicultural issues by offering numerous narrative accounts and research studies for work with various ethnic groups Narrative and Experience in Multicultural Education is designed for use in courses in multicultural education and qualitative research, especially in departments of education, anthropology, and sociology. Professional educators, researchers, and consultants will also find this a valuable introduction to narrative research and a welcome addition to the literature.

Narrative and Experience in Multicultural Education explores the untapped potential that narrative and experiential approaches have for understanding multicultural issues in education. The research featured in the book reflects an exciting new way of thinking about human experience. The studies focus on the lives of students, teachers, parents, and communities, highlighting experiences seldom discussed in the literature. Most importantly, the work emphasizes the understanding of experience and transforming this understanding into social and educational significance.

For readers new to the field of multicultural education and human relations education, the recency of these publications heralded as seminal may be confusing, for certainly the concepts building the field of multicultural education and human relations education have been around much longer. True. But, for the first time, we found the conceptual framework, guiding principles, and critical works across disciplines and fields in Smith's encyclopedic organization. Because of the comprehensive nature of Pritchy Smith's knowledge bases, they have been employed as the organizing themes for this volume. I would clarify that I have not burdened authors to study Smith’s analysis and then apply it to their works; the categorization is my own. And, as is true of any topic, the interpretation and application may be broadly applicable. One of my major goals in founding this series has been to further develop the knowledge bases with voices from those in the trenches (literally and figuratively) and at the chalkface—while proverbial for some parts of the world, chalk remains a teaching staple in many regions of the world. Throughout this volume, authors will explore and research their own discoveries on this journey—narratives of crossing cultures and developing communities, reconceptualizing democracy and reinterpreting traditions, seeking solidarity and sowing the seeds of social justice. Through critical reflection in the shade of these giants, the reader may discover Ming Fang’s bamboo tree.

In Minority Students in East Asia: Government Policies, School Practices and Teacher Responses authors discuss their research on minority students’ schooling (elementary to higher education) in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Minority students’ educational issues are often neglected in literature and in practice; social and educational conditions that have resulted from globalization – in particular issues pertaining to minority groups’ education, language and other human rights – receive little attention. In addition, many areas of East Asia have viewed themselves as single-ethnicity countries and have not articulated strong agendas around minority rights. The purpose of this book is to highlight key educational issues for specific minority populations in East Asia. Themes addressed include government policies related to minorities; equity issues in the education of minorities; school practices and teacher perspectives on minorities; identity construction in terms of language and culture; national versus ethnic identity; teacher education issues; and parental concerns. The authors also discuss new theoretical orientations to understanding minority educational issues. A particular strength of this book is the use of multicultural education theories to both articulate concerns related to the education of minority students and to provide solutions to these concerns.

This book introduces the concept of reciprocal educational learning among cultures with very different historical and philosophical origins. The concept of reciprocal learning grows out of a four year study of immigrant Chinese family narrative experiences in a Western context. This book captures the lived moments of such transitional lives both in and out of school settings to demonstrate why a child would appear and disappear from different caregivers’ purview. Through the narrative lens of student and family life, the study illustrates the intersection of Confucian and Western philosophies of education and how their interaction creates complications as well as benefits for both traditions, hence, the idea of reciprocal learning.

Composed by international researchers, the Handbook of Narrative Inquiry: Mapping a Methodology is the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the developing methodology of narrative inquiry. The Handbook outlines the historical development and philosophical underpinnings of narrative inquiry as well as describes different forms of narrative inquiry. This one-of-a-kind volume offers an emerging map of the field and encourages further dialogue, discussion, and experimentation as the field continues to develop. Key Features: Offers coverage of various disciplines and viewpoints from around the world: Leading international contributors draw upon narrative inquiry as conceptualized in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, and Philosophy. Illustrates the range of forms of narrative inquiry: Both conceptual and practical in-depth descriptions of narrative inquiry are presented. Portrays how narrative inquiry is used in research in different professional fields: Particular attention is paid to representational issues, ethical issues, and some of the complexities of narrative inquiry with indigenous and cross-cultural participants as well as child participants. Intended Audience: The Handbook of Narrative Inquiry is a must have resource for narrative methodologists and students of narrative inquiry across the social sciences. Individuals in the fields of Nursing, Psychology, Anthropology, Education, Social Work, Sociology, Organizational Studies, and Health research will be particularly well served by this masterful work.

In Are You Mixed?, Sonia Janis explores the spaces in-between race and place from the perspective of an educator who is multi-racial. As she reflects on her own experiences as a seventh grade student up to her eventual appointment as a school administrator, she learns of the complexity of situating oneself in predetermined demographic categories. She shares how she explores the intricacies of undefined spaces that teach her to embrace differences, contradictions, and complexities in schools, neighborhoods and communities. Exploring the in-betweenness (Anzaldua & Keating, 2002; He, 2003, 2010) of her life as a multi-race person problematizes imbedded notions of race, gender, class, and power. The power of this memoir lies in its narrative possibilities to capture the contradictions and paradoxes of lives in-between race and place, “to honor the subtleties, fluidities, and complexities of such experience, and to cultivate understanding towards individual ... experience and the multicultural/multiracial contexts that shape and are shaped by such experience” (He, 2003, p. xvii). This memoir creates new ways to think about and write about in-between experience and their relevance to multicultural and multiracial education. Janis challenges educators, teachers, administrators, and policy makers to view the educational experience of students with multiracial, multicultural, and multilingual backgrounds by shattering predetermined categories and stereotyped classifications and looking into unknown and fluid realms of the in-betweenness of their lives. This challenge helps create equitable and just opportunities and engender culturally responsive and inspiring curricular and learning environments to bring out the best potential in all diverse schools, communities, neighborhoods, tribes and societies.