Science identity possibilities: a look into Blackness, masculinities, and economic power relations
Abstract
This forum paper dialogues with Sheron Mark’s A bit of both science and economics: a non-traditional STEM identity narrative. In her paper, she discusses the development of a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) identity by a young African American male during an informal STEM for Social Justice Program. Here, the discussion focuses on Black masculinities, identity formation, and the role of science educators in making STEM fields a welcoming place for young Black men. Drawing from Mark’s data and discussion, this paper is a dialogue between science identity possibilities in the United States and in Brazil when we look at the intersections of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Using the shared colonial past of both countries a connection is established to address race relations within science education. The main argument in this paper is that racism can no longer be denied and dismissed by the science education community worldwide and that intersectional approaches are needed to face this issue.
Keywords
Science identity Critical race theory Masculinities IntersectionalityReferences
- BBC News. (November 2014). Brazil’s capoeira gains UN cultural heritage status. BBC News. November 28, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30219941.
- Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
- Carlone, H. B., & Johnson, A. (2007). Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1187–1218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Collins, P. H. (2005). Black sexual politics: African Americans, gender, and the new racism. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
- Connell, R. W. (2000). The men and the boys. Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
- Cordeiro, A. A. S., & Carvalho, N. C. (2013). Capoeira, do crime à legalização: Uma história de resistência da cultura popular. Revista Trilhas da História, 2(4), 68–80.Google Scholar
- Correio, C. (2017). Aluno da Ufba morre após ser baleado em assalto na Federação. Correio. November 10, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.correio24horas.com.br/noticia/nid/aluno-da-ufba-morre-apos-ser-baleado-em-assalto-na-federacao/.
- Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2001). Critical race theory: An introduction. New York: New York University Press.Google Scholar
- Foster, V., Kimmel, M., & Skelton, C. (2001). ‘What about the boys?’ An overview of the debates. In W. Martino & B. Meyenn (Eds.), What about the boys? Issues of masculinity in schools (pp. 1–23). Philadelphia: Open University Press.Google Scholar
- Garcia, J. (2016). Antes de entrar na UERJ, aluna negra ouviu que não tinha ‘cara de médica’. UOL Educação, July 11, 2016. Retrieved from https://educacao.uol.com.br/noticias/2016/07/11/antes-de-entrar-na-uerj-aluna-negra-ouviu-que-nao-tinha-cara-de-medica.htm.
- Gobbi, N. (2017). Escritora Judith Butler sofre agressão no aeroporto de Congonhas. O Globo, November 10, 2017. Retrieved from https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/livros/escritora-judith-butler-sofre-agressao-no-aeroporto-de-congonhas-22054565.
- Gray, H. (1995). Black masculinity and visual culture. Callaloo, 18(2), 401–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- hooks, b. (2004). We real cool: Black men and masculinity. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
- hooks, b. & Harris-Perry, M. (2013). Black female voices: Who is listening—A public dialogue between bell hooks + Melissa Harris-Perry. The New School, Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall. November 8, 2013. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/5OmgqXao1ng.
- Jenkins, T. S. (2011). A beautiful mind: Black male intellectual identity and hip-hop culture. Journal of Black Studies, 42(8), 1231–1251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Julio, J., & Vaz, A. (2009). Representações de masculinidades latentes em aulas de física do ensino médio. Revista Brasileira de Educação, 14(42), 505–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
- Ong, M. (2005). Body projects of young women of color in physics: Intersections of gender, race, and science. Social Problems, 52(4), 593–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Scantlebury, K., & Baker, D. (2007). Gender issues in science education research: Remembering where the difference lies. In S. Abell & N. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 257–286). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
- Shapiro, R., & Williams, A. M. (2012). The role of stereotype threats in undermining girl’s and women’s performance and interest in STEM fields. Sex Roles, 66(3–4), 175–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0051-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Tan, E. & Barton, A. C. (2016). Hacking a path in and through STEM: Unpacking the STEM identity work of historically underrepresented youth in STEM. In 12th international conference of the learning sciences proceedings, Vol. 1, pp. 418–425.Google Scholar
- Wright, B. (2009). Racial-ethnic identity, academic achievement, and african american males: A review of literature. The Journal of Negro Education, 78(2), 123–134.Google Scholar