“Cultural Capital and Critical Race Theory” was an article written by Tara J. Yosso and found in JSTOR’s database. The introduction begins with an appealing epigraph citing Gloria Anzaldúa’s work on including people of color in academic theory. Anzaldúa asserts people of color have been excluded from certain areas of academia and it is important to “not allow white men and women solely to occupy it” (qtd. in Yosso 69). Inclusion in these spaces are vital, Anzaldúa notes, because by “bringing in [people of color’s] own approaches and methodologies, we transform that theorizing space” (qtd. in Yosso 69). This quote effectively encapsulates the essay and the basic potential of true social equality in academia — the transformation of historically, structurally oppressive systems. It is also analogous to other offshoots of contemporary society, such as the work place or national and/or local politics.
This work should be considered in every field, particularly Education, Linguistics and Performance Studies because it effectively challenges the outdated, …show more content…
“…Schools most often work from this assumption in structuring ways to help ‘disadvantaged’ students whose race and class background has left them lacking necessary knowledge, social skills, abilities and cultural capital” (Yosso 70). These methods do not consider characteristics in communities of color which are inherently different from dominant, mainstream white culture as valuable, as this form of theorizing is also oppressive.
She proceeds to frame her argument as a more effective and pragmatic alternative, citing the work of other scholars along the way: “Indeed, if some knowledges have been used to… render People of Color invisible, then ‘Outsider’ knowledges… can value the presence and voices of People of Color, and re-envision the margins as places empowered by transformative resistance (Yosso
This work should be considered in every field, particularly Education, Linguistics and Performance Studies because it effectively challenges the outdated, …show more content…
“…Schools most often work from this assumption in structuring ways to help ‘disadvantaged’ students whose race and class background has left them lacking necessary knowledge, social skills, abilities and cultural capital” (Yosso 70). These methods do not consider characteristics in communities of color which are inherently different from dominant, mainstream white culture as valuable, as this form of theorizing is also oppressive.
She proceeds to frame her argument as a more effective and pragmatic alternative, citing the work of other scholars along the way: “Indeed, if some knowledges have been used to… render People of Color invisible, then ‘Outsider’ knowledges… can value the presence and voices of People of Color, and re-envision the margins as places empowered by transformative resistance (Yosso