Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education (Multicultural Education Series)

This is an excellent book -- I've used it with undergraduates and as a supplement for graduate students. The negative reviews you see here are clearly written by people who have not read the book or have decided to react out of fear. Does this book make you tackle uncomfortable topics? Yes. Does this book ask you to be analytical and flex critical thinking muscle? Yes. Is this book rigorous? Yes.An major aim of the book is to help readers build a theoretical framework for understanding social justice education. To do that, readers MUST understand what privilege is, how it works, and what it means to be aware of it. Readers must understand what oppression is and how it is intimately connected to power and privilege. Knowing how structural oppression works and having the language to talk about it opens doors to other conversations. Understanding what equity is and how crucial it is to work for equity makes one a more effective advocate, teacher, parent, and activist. The reviews below are further proof that we need this book and others like it.Sensoy and DiAngelo have done a wonderful job or breaking down some difficult topics and scaffolding the material in well-written chapters. This is an ideal book for a variety of contexts -- undergraduate and graduate class for sure, but also for those who want to "brush up" on the fundamentals of social justice and equity-based concepts in education and social sciences. This little books is a fantastic resource.

First of all, this is a required book for an MAT program in the U.S., which I happen to have been assigned.The book is great for those who have never taken any courses requiring in-depth analyses of diversity, especially in a role as an educator/teacher. The authors come off as somewhat condescending at times and "dumb-down" concepts in an attempt to make the material understood by even the most laypersons. All that aside, the material is accurate and designed as a crash-course book in academic diversity and culture. It's okay to be defensive about the subject material because it's difficult to remain objective when one has never been exposed to these ideas before. Having said that, please keep an open mind and try to reflect this material on your students and not yourself.If you have a background in the social sciences, like myself, this is quite a boring book. The authors could have delved deeper into these subjects since they intended the book for an academic audience. Nevertheless, set your mind on cruise control and hope not to fall asleep.

It seems to me that many reviewers here are rating this book not by the quality of the ideas but by the extent to which they agree with them. This a problematic, anti-intellectual way to judge anything. As any critical thinker will agree, the ideas and concepts are well-argued, cogent and supported with facts. To disagree with the authors would be the assume the position of the willfully ignorant, myopic individuals standing so close to the bird cage (page 47) as to only see single bars and ask why doesn't the bird just fly out. Which is to say not fully understand the issues (white privilege, institutional racism, oppression, etc) because you don't have a clear picture. By reading this book, you were supposed to learn how to take a step back, notice how the bars actually make up a cage and gain a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of issues at hand. You missed the point.

This is an excellent text. It is accessible to the general public. I use it in workshops for educators and community. As one whose major area of studies is critical theory and the social sciences and has taught sociology type courses for the better part of his life, I assure you the socialogical theory in the text is sound' the arguments are sound. The negative comments are from folk (i.e., fox and the grapes) are fabricating what is actually in the text. An excellent review of this text is given by Michael Cappello, University of Regina, http://ineducation.ca/ineducation/article/view/185/628. The Sensoy/DiAngelo text is a truthful and relational book -- it is NOT hateful (as one "review" suggests!). Anything said to the contrary simply shows why it is so difficult to address this issue in American society. Some reviewers clearly do not wish you to read this effective, enlightening, and powerful book. I am a PhD with 40 years teaching in higher education.

Dr. Sensoy and Dr. DiAngelo have consolidated years of academic work AND EXPERTISE into an easily readable, thoughtful text from which everyone can learn. These scholars have thoroughly researched the scientific data on discrimination, and now have provided teachers with ways to help students come to terms with understanding the astonishing amount of racism, classism, gender discrimination present in the US today. This is a timely book, an essential book. This is a book that it takes courage to read; a book that it takes courage to begin doing the work of self-reflection that is required in order to understand the ideas in this book, and even greater courage to apply these principles in your everyday lives. I wonder how many people have the courage needed to undertake this level of understanding of our current US society? Do you have the courage to read this book, and reflect on how you contribute to these problems in the world?

A difficult subject that I "kind of knew in my heart" but had chosen to not face on a conscious level until this book forced me into it. This subject confronts everyone of us who believed with our whole hearts in the concept of "liberty and justice for all" as we said the Pledge of Allegiance each school day. This book forces us to look at the ways we and our country have not lived up to what we profess and would like to think. I thank the authors for making us see ourselves and our "system" with the challenging reality. May we reaffirm our commitment to doing what we can to make life more just for everyone in our global family.

Thank you so much.

This is an excellent text on social justice theory. I read it as a core text for a Masters level course and it not often that one can say they really enjoyed the text. It is very readable and does a. good job of explaining complex ideas and concepts. Includes both American and Canadian examples which I appreciate as a Canadian reader.

Great condition

Thanks

Make absolutely sure you get the newest edition. I recieved the older edition and it doesn’t match up with the readings and quizzes of the course.