In The Culture Trap, Derron Wallace argues that the overreliance on culture to explain Black students' achievement and behavior in schools is a trap that undermines the historical factors and institutional processes that shape how Black students experience schooling. This trap is consequential for a host of racial and ethnic minority youth in schools, including Black Caribbean young people in London and New York City. Since the 1920s, Black Caribbeans in New York have been considered a high-achieving Black model minority. Conversely, since the 1950s, Black Caribbeans in London have been regarded as a chronically underachieving minority. In both contexts, however, it is often suggested that Caribbean culture informs their status, whether as a celebrated minority in the US or as a demoted minority in Britain. Drawing on rich ethnographic observations, as well as interview and archival data from two of the largest public schools in London and New York City, Wallace interrogates the fault lines of these claims, and highlights the influence of colonialism, class, and context in shaping Black Caribbeans' educational experiences. As racial and ethnic achievement gaps and discussions about what to do about them persist in the US and Britain, Wallace shows how culture is at times used as an alibi for racism in schools, and points out what educators, parents, and students can do to change it.

In The Cultural Trap: How Society Shapes and Destroys Innocence, author Ranjot Singh Chahal explores the complex interplay between culture and individuality. This thought-provoking examination reveals how societal norms, education, media, and tradition mold our identities, often stifling imagination and free thought. From the loss of innocence in childhood to the rigid constructs of gender and morality, Chahal challenges readers to confront the unseen forces that shape their lives. Through insightful analysis, he encourages a rethinking of conformity, inviting a journey toward reclaiming authentic self-expression in a world rife with cultural constraints.

Haim Hazan is a leading specialist on old age in anthropology, and has published several books on particular communities of old people. The latest book is an essay on the realities of old age, as it is experienced, as opposed to the ideas about the old current in western societies. It argues that the construction of this world by outsiders is inevitably affected by deeply ingrained social attitudes and structures, such as the spatial segregation of the aged as a population, and the fear of death with which they are associated. By approaching the subject from the social constructionist perspective, and by drawing on a variety of detailed ethnographic accounts, the author describes a unique and nuanced social world. This is a sophisticated and original book, which should have a significant impact on a field still dominated by a 'social problems' approach.

Shares the voices of students speaking out against the failures of urban education "Our schools suck." This is how many young people of color call attention to the kind of public education they are receiving. In cities across the nation, many students are trapped in under-funded, mismanaged and unsafe schools. Yet, a number of scholars and of public figures have shifted attention away from the persistence of school segregation to lambaste the values of young people themselves. Our Schools Suck forcefully challenges this assertion by giving voice to the compelling stories of African American and Latino students who attend under-resourced inner-city schools, where guidance counselors and AP classes are limited and security guards and metal detectors are plentiful—and grow disheartened by a public conversation that continually casts them as the problem with urban schools. By showing that young people are deeply committed to education but often critical of the kind of education they are receiving, this book highlights the dishonesty of public claims that they do not value education. Ultimately, these powerful student voices remind us of the ways we have shirked our public responsibility to create excellent schools. True school reform requires no less than a new civil rights movement, where adults join with young people to ensure an equal education for each and every student.

As the first of a two-volume set on the anthropology of cultural transformation, this book discusses the manifestations of cultural transformation in the modern world and explores the re-establishment of cultural consciousness. Anthropology in the twenty-first century is confronted with a worldview of cultural transformation based on communication, collision, and interaction among cultures around the globe. This two-volume set aims to reorient the role and function of anthropology by focusing on the reconstruction of knowledge and cultural consciousness in order to better imagine and realize the synergetic interaction between different cultures and civilizations. In this first volume, the author first provides an overview of the key issues and stances of anthropology in the face of cultural transformation. The book examines the trend of social and cultural transformation in the modern world and in China. It analyzes how the technology of separation brought about by modernity shapes family function and education. As a promising solution to this predicament, the book elucidates the importance of cultural consciousness in resisting disasters and social syndromes. The title will appeal to anthropologists, students, and general readers interested in anthropology, sociology, and ethnography.

The Apostle Paul warned that in the last days there would be a falling away from the faith in God. The Christian is under increased pressure to stand against the devices of the enemy. You may wonder just where this battle originates, and how does the Christian withstand the attacks of the enemy of our souls. The Christian and the Culture takes a hard look at the obstacles that are facing the church in the world today. This book will cause you to examine your life and rethink your spiritual position in Christ. As you read this book, you may laugh, cry or maybe even feel a sense of spiritual urgency. Yet one truth remains, when you read this book, you will have a greater desire to seek the face of the Lord Jesus more than ever before. The Christian and the Culture is designed to challenge the believer to fulfill the passage of 2 Corinthians chapters 6 & 7, "come out from among them and separate yourselves...and you shall be My sons and daughters says the Lord".

Housing is an investment. Investment prices must go up. Housing is shelter. When the price of shelter goes up, people experience distress. This is the housing trap. It’s time to escape. In Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis, renowned urbanists Charles (Chuck) Marohn and Daniel Herriges introduce a first-of-its-kind discussion of the tension between housing as a financial product and housing as shelter. This is the key insight that’s been missing from the Housing Crisis Conversation; and the insight that can help cities fight back against the crisis from the bottom-up. This book offers a serious, yet accessible, history of housing policy in the United States and explains how it led us to this point in time: where we face a market that is rigged against people who, only a few decades ago, could have been homeowners or stable, long-term rentals. Only local change, on a neighborhood or city-wide scale, can begin to restore balance to the housing market. Escaping the Housing Trap is the must-read resource for everyone with a stake in the future of housing in America—and that means everyone. Readers will find: Discussions of housing as an investment and how the country's neighborhoods are being transformed by the introduction of large amounts of investment Explorations of housing as shelter, including discussions of zoning policy and NIMBYism A comprehensive overview of the Strong Towns approach to solving the American housing crisis

Provides a step-by-step blueprint of cultural dynamics, defining the boundaries between matter and life, life and culture, and animal culture versus human culture. With all these basic concepts the author sets the stage for a renewal of anthropological enquiry.

Do you want to excel in digital innovation and avoid becoming obsolete like an old gramophone record? If so, this book is for you. In this book, Max Mouwen, an expert in digital transformation and innovation, explains why organizations that do not keep up with the digital developments and do not innovate, risk becoming irrelevant and disappearing, just like an old gramophone record that nobody uses anymore.