Student Activism in the Academy: Its Struggles and Promise is a wide-ranging, provocative survey of student activism in America’s colleges and universities that critically analyzes the contentious problems and progress of a movement that has stirred public reaction in and out of academe. Its fundamental purpose is to engage diverse publics in both reasoned and passionate reflection and soul searching on vital issues that surround campus protest, including:
- strategies for student activism
- the role of social media and technology
- legal questions on campus speech
- the dilemmas of political correctness
- generational differences among student activists
- and various forms of student protest related to race, class, gender, and disabilities.
Administrators, faculty, students, and student life personnel in higher education—indeed, all those interested in today’s colleges and universities--will want to participate in the timely and productive dialogue within these pages.
“This insightful volume illustrates the sweep of campus activism, spanning the complex issues of race, gender, identity politics, political correctness, and the ubiquity of social media as their main theater. In a political age in search of a compelling narrative for an inclusive democratic ideal, this provocative book captures the diverse voices of student activism.”
Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College and Chair of the National Board of Directors of The Association of American Colleges and Universities
“DeVitis and Sasso have brought together an admirable compilation of diverse scholars and student activists who explore historical and contemporary approaches to campus activism. The authors quickly push beyond the charity model of doing good for “them” as an objectified group outside of one's self. Instead, they create ways in which an 'I' viewpoint intersects with 'we' perspectives across various identities. Taken together, their model can help us work toward a stronger, more diverse, democracy through campus activism. This is an important book for campus administrators, faculty, and students who seek to provide engaged environments by enabling us to better understand mindful, reflective activism while analyzing such significant themes as social media, sexual violence, neoliberalism, community improvement and beyond.”
Penny A. Pasque, Professor and Department Head of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development North Carolina State University
DedicationPreface
Joseph L. DeVitis and Pietro A. SassoPart One: Contexts, Conditions, and Struggles
1. The Promise and Struggles of Campus-Based Student Activism
Cassie L. Barnhardt2. Communication, Dialogue, and Student Activism
Spoma Jovanovic3. Social Media: Changing Activism for Better or for Worse
Tess Halpern4. Social Media and Student Activism: Transformative Moments in Recent History
Angus Johnston5. Freedom of Speech on the Contemporary Campus: A Bridge over Troubled Waters or a Highway to Hell?
Dennis E. Gregory6. Debating Equality, Neoliberalism, Normativity, and Campus Rhetoric
Peter Halewood7. Thinking Beyond Political Correctness
Joshua AxelrodPart Two: Identity, Political Formation, and Promise
8. The Shift from Internationalism to Identity Politics: From Our Oppressions to My Oppression
Michael Soldatenko and Eric Margolis9. The Legacy of the Campus Living Wage Movement
Ashton R. Cooper and J. Patrick Biddix10. Women’s Issues and Student Protest
Betsy Eudey11. Peter Pan Is White Boy Wasted: The Wanderlust of College Men in Protest
Pietro A. Sasso12. Navigating the Complex Realities of Campus-Based Sexual Violence: Activism and Resistance
Marvette C. Lacy and Terah J. Stewart13. Black Student Activism: Ongoing Paradoxes and Past Struggles in Higher Education
Victoria K. Malaney Brown14. Latinx Student Activism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
Ebelia Hernández and Roberto Orozco15. Maintaining Equity: Queer Student Community Improvement: Work, Precarity, and Compensation
Cris Mayo, with Joshua Stuart16. College Students with Disabilities and Their Activism
J. Mark Pousson and Karen A. MyersContributors
Joseph L. DeVitis is a retired professor of educational foundations and higher education. He is a past president of the American Educational Studies Association (AESA), the Council of Learned Societies in Education, and the Society of Professors of Education. Dr. DeVitis is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two of his books have earned Choice Awards from the American Library Association, and four others have won Critics Choice Awards from AESA as outstanding books of the year, including his most recent book, Popular Educational Classics (Peter Lang, 2016).
Pietro Sasso has over 10 years of professional and teaching experience in postsecondary education. As an administrator, his experience is exceptionally diverse, spanning several educational administrative functional areas. As a scholar, he has written and co-edited 7 texts, authored over 35 scholarly publications, and facilitated over 30 national and regional presentations. He is the recipient of the AFA Dr. Charles Eberly Research Award from AFA and is the ACPA Men and Masculinities Emerging Scholar-In-Residence.