BEYOND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS Toward the Inclusive University

Richer, Stephen & Lorna Weir

ISBN 10: 0802050255 / ISBN 13: 9780802050250

Published by University of Toronto Press, 1995

About this Item

Minor Shelfwear; This book purports to take its readers beyond political correctness, beyond the predictable polarization of left and right, beyond the polemical hyperbole that has made rational debate a rarity in the culture wars that still beset us. Indeed, the editors explicitly claim to offer 'insight into the values, ideals, and motives of both sides' and thus to transcend the sterile and static opposition between affirmative action and merit, between human rights and academic freedom. ; 9.75 x 1.25 x 6.5 Inches; 272 pages.

Seller Inventory # 548

Bibliographic Details

• Title: BEYOND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS Toward the Inclusive University
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802050255
• ISBN 13: 9780802050250
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket
• Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Seller catalogs:
  • Reference
  • Political Science

About this title

Synopsis

The term 'political correctness' has lately been transformed into a weapon of neoconservatism. Once used to poke fun at social movements and civil-rights groups for occasional lapses into rigidity, it has since become a popular handle for the neoconservative critique of higher education. Aimed at anti-racist and anti-sexist initiatives within universities, colleges, and other major social institutions, the term is used to discredit such innovations as employment equity, selective recruitment of students from groups that have suffered systemic discrimination, sexual harassment policies, and women's studies programs, casting these as forms of tyranny that destroy academic freedom and merit.
This anthology is the first sociological analysis of political correctness and the first study of the phenomenon in Canada. Contributors argue on behalf of an inclusive university, showing that recent reforms not only work toward broadening human rights, but provide a welcome reorganization of knowledge. All but two papers have been written specifically for this text.
Part One explores the history and social organization of the discourse, with the accent on Canadian material. The essays explore what the term has signified to different groups and to what ends they have used it. This section moves from an overview of political-correctness discourse to its explicit manifestation within universities in debates concerning academic ideals. Part Two looks at the classroom, a major site for building the inclusive university. Here, contributors explore feminist and anti-racist teaching and the limitations to such teaching imposed by the economic and political contexts of contemporary universities.

About the Author

Lorna Weir is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, York University.