ECU Libraries Catalog

Bad boys : public schools in the making of black masculinity / Ann Arnett Ferguson.

Author/creator Ferguson, Ann Arnett, 1940-
Format Book and Print
Publication InfoAnn Arbor : University of Michigan Press, ©2000.
Descriptionxi, 256 pages ; 24 cm.
Subject(s)
Portion of title Public schools in the making of black masculinity
Series Law, meaning, and violence
Law, meaning, and violence. ^A327692
Contents Don't believe the Hype. Field note : a field trip -- The punishing room. Field note : first impressions -- School rules. Field note : self-description -- Naughty by nature. A shift in perspective -- The real world. Field note : mothering -- Getting in trouble. Field note : odd symptoms -- Unreasonable circumstances. Field note : promotion exercises -- Dreams.
Review "Black males are disproportionately "in trouble" and suspended from the nation's school systems. In Bad Boys, Ann Arnett Ferguson offers an account of daily interactions between teachers and students to illuminate this serious problem. She demonstrates how a group of eleven- and twelve-year-old males are identified by school personnel as "bound for jail" and how the young men construct a sense of self under such adverse circumstances. Through interviews and participation with pre-adolescent African American boys in classrooms, playgrounds, movie theaters, and video arcades, Ferguson explores what "getting into trouble" means for the boys themselves. She supplements the boys' perspectives with interviews with teachers, principals, truant officers, and relatives of the students. Together these data construct a disturbing picture of how educators' beliefs in a "natural difference" of black children and the "criminal inclination" of black males shape decisions that disproportionately single out black males as being "at risk" for failure and punishment. Bad Boys should be of interest of educators, parents, and all professionals and students in the fields of African American studies, childhood studies, gender studies, juvenile studies, social work, and sociology, as well as anyone who is concerned about the way our schools are shaping the next generation of African American boys."--Jacket.
Local noteLittle-325582--305131026459$
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (p. 237-241) and index.
LCCN 99006950
ISBN0472111035 (cloth : acid-free paper)

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks LC2771 .F47 2000 ✔ Available Place Hold