This commentary on Bryan Brayboy's 2011 Presidential address to the Council on Anthropology & Education focuses on the concepts and performance embedded in Dr. Brayboy's demonstration of "how his stories are his theories." Central concepts are academic life in a neoliberal world driven by the myth of disinterested markets, CAE's clear mission of…

In this article we analyze what happens when undergraduate students are positioned as pedagogical consultants in a faculty development program. Drawing on their spoken and written perspectives, and using the classical anthropological concept of "liminality," we illustrate how these student consultants revise their relationships with their teachers…

Increasing numbers of immigrant youth are coming of age within global cities that are characterized by growing inequalities and few opportunities for social mobility. These youth face numerous educational obstacles that complicate college and labor market access. This article draws from an ethnographic study of public high schools serving…

Findings from a four-year action research project at a highly diverse, West Coast U.S. university reveal that a large percentage of white students cannot trace their identities to a particular nation in Europe and are, as a result, unable to name the shared meanings of a particular ethnic culture. Each time Latino, Asian American, and African…

This study challenges and evaluates modern-liberal-humanistic discourse on education as enlightenment through analysis of the life stories of the first Bedouin women to acquire higher education (hereafter: First Women). The liberal discourse is examined in terms of its ethnic and genderial contexts and the special status these women gained as…

This article uses the Students Serving Christ student organization to examine the role of student subcultures in higher education. Using subculture theories, this article examines the origins of student subcultures, explores how subcultures are formed and sustained, reveals what counts as normal within and among student subcultures, investigates…

This ethnographic study expands educational anthropologists' knowledge of the relationship between higher education and personal and social change in so-called traditional societies. It describes transitions in the status of Druze women in Israel brought about by the first women from the community to obtain higher education, granting new insights…

Orchestrating an Indigenous language program for Indigenous peoples within any academic environment is no easy task. In most cases, Indigenous languages are taught by a recognized community expert, in the community; teaching that same language in a university environment is much more challenging. This article responds to Mindy J. Morgan's…

Indigenous languages are powerful symbols of self-determination and sovereignty for tribal communities in the United States, and many community-based programs have been developed to support and maintain them. The successes of these programs, however, have been difficult to replicate at large research institutions. This article examines the issues…

We argue for the value of postmodernism in illuminating the roles or subject positions of ethnographic program evaluators. Drawing upon data from an ethnographic study of a summer college readiness program for African American, Asian American, and Anglo youth, we explore how postmodern theories can provide insights into the multiple roles of…

Investigated language ideology in a college Spanish department, examining the acquisition and transmission of linguistic culture and how views about non-English languages that are part of the U.S. cultural dialogue are maintained and nurtured by educational institutions. Using participant observation and interview data, the paper contends that…

Analyzes black female student athletes' participation in an elite collegiate athletic program by showing how the program maximizes black females' athletic and academic potential through surveillance, control, and discipline. The program instills in black female athletes a model of womanhood whereby they come to expect and achieve academic and…

Delves into the "black box" of Palestinian Israeli women's experiences in university literacy. Utilizes interview and observation data to disclose practices women use to unearth the construction of dominant Jewish Israeli knowledge and to reconstruct gender in the Palestinian Israeli ethnonational discourse. Results reveal how liberal…

Investigated the meaning of early marriage among Hmong American female college students. Interview and observation data attested to the complexity of the meaning of early marriage in the Hmong American community. Results refuted explanations of cultural difference as underlying early marriage and indicated that early marriage was an expression of…

Examines the experiences of Native and non-Native Alaskan teacher educators in rural Alaska, describing opportunities for capitalizing on field settings available to faculty at any university. Discusses reasons for putting faculty in the field, looking at field-based training for Native teachers, the "ivory tower" versus the real world,…