EXPLAINING RACE-EDUCATION

This article focuses on three models—Marxist representational and inter- pretive—which have been used to explain the development of ’ ‘race’-education in Britain over the last 25 years. Each model is discussed initially in terms of its core assumptions and links with mainstream sociological and/or political theory, in order to clarify its intellectual origins and conceptual basis. The analytical questions which stem from these models’ assumptions are then specified and their application in the fields of ’ ‘race’ and ’ ‘race’ and education illustrated briefly through a discussion of published work in these areas and a study of ’ ‘race’-education policy and practice in initial teacher education. The latter also provides a basis for an initial assessment of the different models’ explanatory power and for considering whether there is a need for a new conceptual framework. © 1991, American Industrial Hygiene Association. All rights reserved.