Realising the Dream: Unlearning the Logic of Race in the South African School

Beginning with a thorough review of the theoretical literature on race and social difference, this book delivers a meticulous examination of how the “logic of race” is played out in the lives of postapartheid South African school students. The compelling analysis draws from two decades of empirical research, revealing how the ongoing preoccupation with race not only obscures but also prevents the evolving new ways of understanding privilege and subordination. The argument contends that the fundamental promise of education is to develop the capacity to make real, in society’s will and desire, the promise of a better world. Recognizing that this goal can only be fully realized when the prejudices and false certainties of race and gender are forgotten, this analysis is as brave as it is challenging, making it essential for education practitioners, students, and social theorists.