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Article
Thinking Critically about Difference: Analytical Tools for the 21st Century
Equity & Excellence in Education (2008)
  • Francisco Rios, Western Washington University
Abstract
This article examines a critical cultural thinking framework advanced to develop an analysis of difference as it pertains to race, gender, and sexuality. We examine student journals to document their use (or lack therein) of these critical cultural thinking concepts and how these concepts influence students' understanding of difference. While there are a number of tools that students can rely on for thinking critically, we advance four concepts that are central for the development of a critical cultural consciousness. 1 The critical cultural thinking skills we identify in this article are (1) organic experience, (2) relational analysis, (3) historical analysis, and (4) conception of power relations. We argue that these tools are central for an intellectual understanding of difference. As the student journals analyzed in this article demonstrate, in the absence of these tools of inquiry, much of the campus discourse reverts to oppressive frameworks, which not only serve to oppress students of color, women, and gay and lesbian students but also erodes the practice of citizenship that is crucial for the development
Publication Date
April 30, 2008
Publisher Statement
Taylor & Francis Online DOI:10.1080/10665680801957378 Margaret Zamudioa, Francisco Riosa & Angela M. Jaimea pages 215-229
Citation Information
Francisco Rios. "Thinking Critically about Difference: Analytical Tools for the 21st Century" Equity & Excellence in Education Vol. 41 Iss. 2 (2008) p. 215 - 229
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/francisco_rios/2/