Quebec's striking students have raised arguments and concerns that get to the root of the debate about the kind of society we want to build—or the kind of society we areallowing to be dismantled in our name. However, the response to this action has raised another issue. The stereotype of the lazy student (or alternatively, “the hostile protestor” or “entitled generation”) has been an effective weapon of the mainstream media. Nuanced, thoughtful arguments about the strike are routinely dismissed, and demonstrations of solidarity have done little to blunt these recurrent negative student stereotypes, or to broaden the terms of the debate.
The summer 2012 issue of Our Schools / Our Selves, Smashing the Stereotypes: Challenging race and gender in the classroom, examines the ways in which stereotypes (such as racial and gender-based stereotypes) and unfounded negative perceptions limit debate and foster contempt, and how educators and academics are challenging these constraints.
Click here to preview and order Smashing the Stereotypes: Challenging race and gender in the classroom.