The postmodern moment has meant an unprecedented acknowledgment of the importance of difference and the «other» in the constitution of human identity. Astonishingly, within critical educational studies this has not, till now, included a serious concern with Jews as either an oppressed or a marginalized group. For the first time, in this anthology, a number of leading voices in the field address the nature of Jewish experience and its connections to a radical vision for social and educational change. Bringing together both biography and social theory, the authors explore the «pedagogy» of Jewish experience, in its variety and complexity, and its connections to the transformative or critical visions they hold of education and our world.

Autorentext

The Editor: H. Svi Shapiro grew up in London, England, where he was brought up in an orthodox Jewish home. For many years he was active in the Socialist-Zionist movement. He strongly identifies himself with the Jewish commitment to Tikkun Olam. He has written extensively on issues of social change and educational policy. Dr. Shapiro is the author of Between Capitalism and Democracy: Educational Policy and the Crisis of the Welfare State (1990) and (with David Purpel) Beyond Liberation and Excellence: Reconstructing the Public Discourse on Education. He is Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Zusammenfassung
"Certainly unique in our educational history, 'Strangers in the Land' complicates and enriches what is thought of as the 'American tradition' - not to speak of the 'American dream'. The scholars who tell their stories as Jews and educators come from diverse domains of Jewish culture. They deal differently with the worlds of memory, tradition, religious commitment, and secularism. Some look through the lenses of academic disciplines; others find continuities between the themes of their personal history and a critical pedagogy that informs their practice. Some are touched by an emergent spirituality; others, by renewed affirmation of identity. In no way parochial, this book opens windows on hitherto unknown aspects of American culture, windows Jews as well as non-Jews will find revealing. There are unexpected discoveries to be found in this book. I recommend it for those inside and outside of academe." (Maxine Greene, Teachers College, Columbia University)

Inhalt
Contents: Shirley Steinberg: Foreword - Arthur Waskow: Preface - Svi Shapiro: Introduction: A life on the Fringes - My Road to Critical Pedagogy - Michael W. Apple: Is that Jewish? History, Politics and Finding One's Way - Haim Dov Beliak: Acts of Memory for Creating a Jewish Identity: Learning to Play Countermelody and Develop the 'Weapons of the Strong' - David Bleich: The Living Text: Literary Pedagogy and Jewish Identity - Linda Bliss: Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural World: Who We Are - Alan A. Block: On Singing the Lord's Song in a Foreign Land - Miriyam Glazer: «...the word in the world, the world in the word, ourselves in the word»: Literature/Jewness/Pedagogy/History - Barry Kanpol: Being Jewish: A Narrative of Cynicism and Joy - Stephen Lerman: Mathematics, Critical Pedagogy and the Jewish Question - David E. Purpel: On Being a Jew and a Boston Braves Fan: Alone and Afraid in a World I Never Made - Mara Sapon-Shevin: A Curriculum of Courage, A Pedagogy of Inclusion: A Jewish Woman Makes Her Way Through Academia - Roger I. Simon: Election, Ambivalence, and the Pedagogy of Jewish Particularity - Alan Weider: Being Jewish, Teaching Social Foundations and Studying Race; Some Reflections - Sherry Shapiro: Yizkor.