This chapter looks outside the classroom to possible forms of academic civic engagement with the ... more This chapter looks outside the classroom to possible forms of academic civic engagement with the undergraduate public. It argues that academic sociologists can and should make social justice and political engagement a central part of sociological pedagogy, not only within the classroom but in the larger university environment. In particular, the chapter suggests that connecting the students to the lived experiences of those involved in contemporary social justice activism and social movements is a core task of public sociology. It discusses the experiences engaging undergraduate students (sociology majors and others) in two types of connection with social justice action and social movements. Keywords: academic civic engagement; political engagement; praxis; social justice; sociological pedagogy; undergraduate students
Implicit in the discussion of transnational Africa are the questions of how humanity has been and... more Implicit in the discussion of transnational Africa are the questions of how humanity has been and is currently organized, and what that configuration means for the experience of all peoples around the globe. What social forces have structured relationships between nations, groups and societies and which will provide the greatest influences in the twenty-first century? Where have people found community and where will they in the future? Where do we locate home in this very transnational world? This chapter explores these questions in the context of the global positioning of the U.S. nation at a time of increased labor migrations primarily from the global south to the north. The U.S. President himself is a product of this transnationalizing process; what does that mean for the future?
Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge, 2019
This essay authored by Melanie E. L. Bush, titled “From Tensions in the American Dream to “As the... more This essay authored by Melanie E. L. Bush, titled “From Tensions in the American Dream to “As the World Turns”: Lessons from Rod Bush’s last projects,” is a chapter in the anthology Rod Bush: Lessons from a Radical Black Scholar on Liberation, Love, and Justice, edited by Melanie E. L. Bush, and co-edited by Rose M. Brewer, Daniel Douglas, Loretta Chin, and Robert Newby (2019). The chapter engages an examination of the principles and lessons embedded in Rod Bush’s last two research and writing projects. The first is a co-authored book titled Tensions in the American Dream: Rhetoric, Reverie or Reality (with Melanie E. L. Bush) which explored the meaning of nation, race and the United States both from an analytic perspective and one drawn from ethnographic research conducted with over 100 people. The second project was designed in response to the findings from Tensions, as was seeking an understanding of efforts underway to build a better world. Unfortunately, Rod Bush took ill and passed before actually being able to start that research. The lessons 298 Tensions in the American Dream to “As the World Turns” Melanie Bush outlined here speak to how love and liberation were embedded in the very questions being asked, the methodology and ultimately the analysis.
... Another contrast is the difference in response between US-born whites and US.-born blacks. On... more ... Another contrast is the difference in response between US-born whites and US.-born blacks. One explanation is summarized: "Though I was and am an American, I [don't] have what most Americans feel—that unique sense of belonging" (Gilmore, 2002,27). ... Gilmore, Brian. ...
... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interp... more ... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interpretations both of sending more soldiers to war and bringing home those already in combat, when questioning and dissent are viewed as matters of social responsibility among at least ...
... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interp... more ... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interpretations both of sending more soldiers to war and bringing home those already in combat, when questioning and dissent are viewed as matters of social responsibility among at least ...
Despite stories told throughout the nation’s history, the United States began not as a nation of ... more Despite stories told throughout the nation’s history, the United States began not as a nation of immigrants, but as a settler colony: British North America. The U.S. nation emerged and developed through the rise of pan-European domination involving the enslavement and exploitation of foreign labour, a process of imperial conquest (Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, etc.), a neocolonial policy of domination of the Americas (the Monroe Doctrine) and increasingly frequent interventions around the globe. White supremacy, both as an ideology and a system, formed the foundational anchor for the development of this nation and the historical capitalist world system. In this context, this article explores the meaning of nation, race and belonging. “America ” the Beautiful? The
This chapter looks outside the classroom to possible forms of academic civic engagement with the ... more This chapter looks outside the classroom to possible forms of academic civic engagement with the undergraduate public. It argues that academic sociologists can and should make social justice and political engagement a central part of sociological pedagogy, not only within the classroom but in the larger university environment. In particular, the chapter suggests that connecting the students to the lived experiences of those involved in contemporary social justice activism and social movements is a core task of public sociology. It discusses the experiences engaging undergraduate students (sociology majors and others) in two types of connection with social justice action and social movements. Keywords: academic civic engagement; political engagement; praxis; social justice; sociological pedagogy; undergraduate students
Implicit in the discussion of transnational Africa are the questions of how humanity has been and... more Implicit in the discussion of transnational Africa are the questions of how humanity has been and is currently organized, and what that configuration means for the experience of all peoples around the globe. What social forces have structured relationships between nations, groups and societies and which will provide the greatest influences in the twenty-first century? Where have people found community and where will they in the future? Where do we locate home in this very transnational world? This chapter explores these questions in the context of the global positioning of the U.S. nation at a time of increased labor migrations primarily from the global south to the north. The U.S. President himself is a product of this transnationalizing process; what does that mean for the future?
Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge, 2019
This essay authored by Melanie E. L. Bush, titled “From Tensions in the American Dream to “As the... more This essay authored by Melanie E. L. Bush, titled “From Tensions in the American Dream to “As the World Turns”: Lessons from Rod Bush’s last projects,” is a chapter in the anthology Rod Bush: Lessons from a Radical Black Scholar on Liberation, Love, and Justice, edited by Melanie E. L. Bush, and co-edited by Rose M. Brewer, Daniel Douglas, Loretta Chin, and Robert Newby (2019). The chapter engages an examination of the principles and lessons embedded in Rod Bush’s last two research and writing projects. The first is a co-authored book titled Tensions in the American Dream: Rhetoric, Reverie or Reality (with Melanie E. L. Bush) which explored the meaning of nation, race and the United States both from an analytic perspective and one drawn from ethnographic research conducted with over 100 people. The second project was designed in response to the findings from Tensions, as was seeking an understanding of efforts underway to build a better world. Unfortunately, Rod Bush took ill and passed before actually being able to start that research. The lessons 298 Tensions in the American Dream to “As the World Turns” Melanie Bush outlined here speak to how love and liberation were embedded in the very questions being asked, the methodology and ultimately the analysis.
... Another contrast is the difference in response between US-born whites and US.-born blacks. On... more ... Another contrast is the difference in response between US-born whites and US.-born blacks. One explanation is summarized: "Though I was and am an American, I [don't] have what most Americans feel—that unique sense of belonging" (Gilmore, 2002,27). ... Gilmore, Brian. ...
... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interp... more ... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interpretations both of sending more soldiers to war and bringing home those already in combat, when questioning and dissent are viewed as matters of social responsibility among at least ...
... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interp... more ... MELANIE EL BUSH ... At a time when the oft-heard phrase “Support the Troops” signifies interpretations both of sending more soldiers to war and bringing home those already in combat, when questioning and dissent are viewed as matters of social responsibility among at least ...
Despite stories told throughout the nation’s history, the United States began not as a nation of ... more Despite stories told throughout the nation’s history, the United States began not as a nation of immigrants, but as a settler colony: British North America. The U.S. nation emerged and developed through the rise of pan-European domination involving the enslavement and exploitation of foreign labour, a process of imperial conquest (Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, etc.), a neocolonial policy of domination of the Americas (the Monroe Doctrine) and increasingly frequent interventions around the globe. White supremacy, both as an ideology and a system, formed the foundational anchor for the development of this nation and the historical capitalist world system. In this context, this article explores the meaning of nation, race and belonging. “America ” the Beautiful? The
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