Race and Curriculum

In this chapter, we articulate a historical understanding of race in the curriculum and pay particular attention to multicultural efforts, Black curriculum orientations, and currere. We provide a social context for better understanding the onset of multiculturalism and examine some of the main tenets and contradictions that have evolved within the multicultural tradition. Multiculturalism created various spaces for more progressive and radical forms of race in the curriculum. Specially, we look at the work of William Watkins on Black curriculum orientations. From there, we revisit the tradition of currere in curriculum theorizing with a focus on the race, gender, and sexuality intersections that have been advanced by various theorists in curriculum studies. We end with an examination of the full-frontal assault on Critical Race Theory in the USA and abroad.