The racial state and the violent (re)production of educational inequality

Abstract

This article defines and situates the concept of the racial state within the sociological literature on educational inequality. Currently, much of the sociology of education literature fails to engage with theories of the state or does so in undertheorized ways. Drawing on theories of the racial state and forms of state violence, this article contributes to literature in political sociology, race and racism, and education. It does so by arguing that the U.S. is a racial state that violently produces and reproduces educational inequality through structural, symbolic, and institutional violence. In charting a research program for a racial state analysis of educational inequality, it provides examples of each kind of state violence and provides suggestions for future research, which may be termed a political sociology of education. The article concludes by noting the value of the state violence framework presented for sociological studies of state authority and comparative work that looks across geographical and historical contexts.

Making way for memes in the social science classroom: How generational media preferences may impact discussions of racial inequities

“…Here, we focus on instruction about critical sociological perspectives on racist ideology (see Golash-Boza, 2016) and the position of education as an institution that can either reinforce or resist hegemonic racist notions (Alicea, 2022). Specifically, we use BVT to gauge students' reactions to popular comedy materials that satirically depict racist logics.…”

Visioning Alternatives to Segregated Education: A Disability Justice and Access-Centered Pedagogy Approach

“…Under settler colonialism, disability and race are political categories rather than neutral or natural markers of difference. When projected onto racialized social groups, these overlapping categories become vulnerable identity markers and, as history has demonstrated, multiple forms of State-sanctioned surveillance and violence (Alicea, 2022). This educational biopolitics, that is, the process of ‘capturing and containing life’ (Bourassa, 2018: 4) in monolithic racial categories, has dire consequences for learners of color, including re-segregation, disproportionality, criminalization, and a fast-track ticket to school-to-prison pipeline (DeSante, 2020; Diamond, 2018; Erevelles, 2014).…”