Resisting Barriers to Belonging

Conceptual Critique and Critical Applications

Beverly S. Faircloth, Laura M. Gonzalez, Katherine Ramos

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2021
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978756847
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

Decades of theory, research, and practice have singled out sense of belonging (in its many derivative forms) as a pivotal component of healthy development: psychologically, socially, culturally, academically. The human need for belonging, and therefore its essential nature, have been well established across multiple arenas. Despite growth in this field, answers to the barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain especially elusive. For decades, this work was anchored primarily in dominant, whitestream lenses and contexts. Therefore, the authors attempt here to highlight the responsibilities of systems and individual actors to meaningfully adapt and intentionally make space for belonging for all. Within that we advocate for the inclusion and preservation of culture, identity, and voice, and reframe belonging as a fundamental human right. Moreover, the authors draw on insights and generate implications across multiple fields (education, psychology, sociology, counseling, cultural foundations, and community work). Considering belonging through a critical, equitable, culturally-sustaining perspective, while simultaneously identifying settings where more attention to barriers to belonging is needed, is a non-negotiable element of moving the work of positive human development forward.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Right to Belong: A Critical Stance
• Chapter 2: Centering Antiracism in Schools to Support Belonging for Black Students
• Chapter 3: Out and About: LGBTQ+ Students’ Journey to Belong
• Chapter 4: Legal Status and Belonging: A Critical Humanist Perspective
• Chapter 5: Developing a Statewide Teacher Learning Community
• Chapter 6: Living as “In-Betweener” in Life and Work
• Chapter 7: Promoting a Sense of Belonging: Black Girls and College and Career Readiness
• Chapter 8: Allies, Advocates, and Agents of Change: Resisting Barriers to Belonging in Sixth Grade
• Chapter 9: Challenges and Strength-Based Strategies for Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in a Heritage Language Program
• Chapter 10: Community Voices: Belonging Narratives of Youth Recently Arrived in the United States
• Chapter 11: The Project for Critical Research, Pedagogy, and Praxis: An Educational Pipeline Model for Social Justice Teacher Education in Times of Division and Authoritarianism
• Conclusion
• Index
• About the Editors and Contributors