The Misintegration of the Negro: A Historical Analysis of Black Male Habitus in Sport and Schooling

Abstract

Drawing from the lenses of critical race theory (CRT) and Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, this article compares the Jackie Robinson story with the Brown versus Board of Education narrative. This juxtaposition illustrates the similarities of these narratives and how interests converged racially. By comparing these historical narratives, we show that there are significant racial contingencies African Americans must internalize to integrate into society. In this sense, we argue that the Jackie Robinson story serves as a powerful and problematic pedagogy for Black males to be part of mainstream society—what we call “expected racial habitus.”

Keywords

race identity urban social Black males subjects culturally relevant pedagogy African American students urban education youth development sport Negro League Baseball

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