Monthly Archives: February 2022

I’m most interested in Shange’s thoughts on neoliberalism and carceral progressivism, I believe they can be complemented well by French marxist philosopher Guy Debord’s concept of recuperation. Shange discusses how liberal logics inform the aims of progressivism to uphold democracy … Continue reading →

I really enjoyed reading Shang’s work, but what stuck out most to me was the structure she used to write about her experience in the Spanish classroom in chapter 3. Like other ethnographies we have read so far, she gave … Continue reading →

The two readings were very informative in a way that I did not know how evident the school-to-prison pipeline is. I went to an all-black high school where we did not have the same opportunities as our counterparts in other … Continue reading →

I found Shang’s discussion of the tangle of complexities between education and incarceration very interesting and illuminating. I agree with Robeson in opposing the pipeline framework or “direct trajectory” (102) between the two, and was very engaged with Shang’s elaboration … Continue reading →

I really enjoyed this week’s reading, especially the DL reading. I thought that the introduction/chapter one was extremely thought provoking and I also enjoyed the observations and interviews that were a part of chapter three. Shange begins the book with … Continue reading →

One of the things I found most interesting about Shange’s writing was the style in which she wrote – By using colloquial language, I think it is easier for the audience to understand her intended message. In the last discussion, … Continue reading →

Throughout Chapters 1 and 3, Shange dives into the central idea of a Progressive Dystopia, and aims to analyze how widespread sentiments of anti-Blackness affect progressivism on an educational level. To do this, Shange makes use of the Robeson Justice … Continue reading →

Dr. Shange’s focus on the theme of carceral progressivism in the school system was provocative and very timely. Dr. Shange defines carceral progressivism as the paradoxical dynamic in which social reform practices, particularly those that target inequities in communities of … Continue reading →

This reading carries a lot of similarities to our previous ethnographic readings (choosing a specific situation/ incidence to zoom in and then apply several theoretical lenses to analyze it). The text also resembles the Tsing and Exceptional Violence readings by … Continue reading →

Reading Shange’s chapter was especially fascinating not only for the focus of her research but for the way in which she wrote. She incorporates words that would be classified as informal (or not approved by high school English teachers in … Continue reading →

One of the things that stuck out the most to me from this reading was the process that Jacks Hill underwent from being a relatively safe and peaceful area of Jamaica to then becoming one where violence was common. Most … Continue reading →

I think this reading really highlighted the concept of scale that we discussed in class last week. Thomas seems to be tackling many layers including but not limited to: violence, culture, community, and political structure. It seems as if the … Continue reading →

When I was reading Chapter 1, I was first interested in the use of Jack’s Hill as a microcosm of the greater issues of violence and a way to lead into the discussion of the larger history of Jamacia and … Continue reading →

I thought that this week’s reading was a bit more on the difficult side. While I could understand most of the concepts being discussed, I struggled with some of the language and terms used. There were several topics from the … Continue reading →

Thomas’ utilization of reparations as a framework for research serves to further dismantle the persistent manifestations of biological determinism. It’s clear that her ethnographic work aims to dispel the belief that Jamaican culture is the core reason for these postcolonial … Continue reading →

The first thing I thought about when the author mentions the extremely high rates of violence and poor economy of the Caribbean region is how that region was the first to be colonized by Columbus. When the author then established … Continue reading →