Interpreting National History: Race, Identity, and Pedagogy in Classrooms and Communities

How do students’ racial identities work with and against teachers’ pedagogies to shape their understandings of history and contemporary society? Based on a long-term ethnographic study, Interpreting National History examines the startling differences in black and white students' interpretations of U.S. history in classroom and community settings. Interviews with children and teens compare and contrast the historical interpretations students bring with them to the classroom with those they l...