Shaun R Harper
Biographic Data
| ID | 305866 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Shaun R Harper |
| GIVEN NAMES | Shaun R |
| FAMILY NAME | Harper |
| SIGNATURE | HARPER S R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Pennsylvania |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9689-6160 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 335 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
When Civil Rights Frames Fail
Consequences of and Responses to Politicized Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Schools
Aera Presidential Address Citizen-Scholars Accepting Educational Responsibility for Eradicating Evil From Democracy and Schools
This address begins by acknowledging contemporary social problems plaguing the United States: mass deportations and the separation of immigrant families, school shootings, police murders of unarmed Black Americans, and violence against transgender, Jewish, Muslim, and Asian American people, to name a few. Also presented are several examples of “educational evils”—curricular, testing, and experiential harms that diverse students, educators, and fa…
Qualitative encounters with anti-drag legislation
Understanding Femmephobia Within Queer Communities
Guided by the perspectives of 50 gay Latino men in college, this qualitative study examines notions of femmephobia within queer communities, the various ways it is manifested, and the effects it has on gay Latinos. Because femmephobia is not an outgrowth nor confined to queer communities, connections to systems of oppression are made. Data stem from interviews and participation in a private social media page with gay Latino men. Through a narrati…
Black People vs. Educational Culprits Engaged in Our Systemic Mass Incarceration in the United States of America
Eight culprits in the systematic mass incarceration of black people are interrogated in this fictitious courtroom proceeding. Each defendant is somehow involved in the ecosystem of schooling that ruins the lives of millions of black students and their families via racist discipline policies and practices. Accountability for the insufficient preparation of prospective teachers and school leaders, as well as the inadequacy of professional developme…
Covid-19 and the Racial Equity Implications of Reopening College and University Campuses
COVID-19 forced many colleges and universities to suspend in-person operations in spring 2020. Students and instructors abruptly shifted to virtual learning and teaching, and most employees began working remotely during the global pandemic. Presented in this article are 12 racial equity implications for federal and state policy makers, as well as higher education leaders, as they consider reopening campuses across the United States
A Critical Race Case Analysis of Black Undergraduate Student Success at an Urban University
Presented in this article is a case study of Black students’ enrollment, persistence, and graduation at Cityville University, an urban commuter institution. We combine quantitative data from the University’s Office of Institutional Research and the U.S. Department of Education with qualitative insights gathered in interviews with students, faculty, and administrators. We then use tenets, theses, and propositions from Critical Race Theory to analy…
Race and rhetoric
Black Male College Achievers and Resistant Responses to Racist Stereotypes at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities
In this article, Shaun R. Harper investigates how Black undergraduate men respond to and resist the internalization of racist stereotypes at predominantly White colleges and universities. Prior studies consistently show that racial stereotypes are commonplace on many campuses, that their effects are usually psychologically and academically hazardous, and that Black undergraduate men are often among the most stereotyped populations in higher educa…
Success in These Schools? Visual Counternarratives of Young Men of Color and Urban High Schools They Attend
The overwhelming majority of published scholarship on urban high schools in the United States focuses on problems of inadequacy, instability, underperformance, and violence. Similarly, across all schooling contexts, most of what has been written about young men of color continually reinforces deficit narratives about their educational possibility. Taken together, images of Black and Latino male students in inner-city schools often manufacture dar…
Toward Complex and Inclusive Studies of Sex Scripts, College Students’ Sexual Behaviors, and Hookup Cultures on U.S. Campuses
Much attention has been devoted in recent years to students “hooking up” on collegeand university campuses across the United States. Hookups broadly entail sexual behaviors that range from anal and vaginal intercourse to oral sex, masturbation, and other physically pleasurable activities. In this article, we synthesize the literature on college hookup cultures. Specifically, we use sexual scripting theory to analyze and critique existing peer-rev…
Beyond bad behaving brothers
Research on fraternity men focuses almost exclusively on problematic behaviors such as homophobia and sexism, alcohol abuse, violence against women, sexual promiscuity, and the overrepresentation of members among campus judicial offenders. Consequently, little is known about those who perform masculinities in healthy and productive ways. Presented in this article are findings from a qualitative study of productive masculinities and behaviors amon…
In Search of Progressive Black Masculinities
During the last several decades, research concerning the developmental trajectories, experiences, and behaviors of college men as 'gendered' persons has emerged. In this article, we first critically review literature on Black men's gender development and expressions within college contexts to highlight certain knowledge gaps. We then conceptualize and discuss progressive Black masculinities by relying on Mutua's germinal work on the subject. Furt…
Am I My Brother’s Teacher? Black Undergraduates, Racial Socialization, and Peer Pedagogies in Predominantly White Postsecondary Contexts
Editors’ Afterword
Race without Racism
This article analyzes 255 articles published in seven peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period and presents examples of how higher education researchers undertake the study of campus racial climates; racial differences in access, outcomes, and attainment; and the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators of color on predominantly White campuses without explicitly considering racism or attributing quantified racial inequities to rac…
An anti‐deficit achievement framework for research on students of color in STEM
A framework adapted from the National Black Male College Achievement Study is introduced in this chapter as a lens through which to explore the enablers of student achievement in STEM. The chapter places an emphasis on reframing deficit‐oriented research questions regarding students of color and their trajectories in STEM fields.
Niggers no more
A methodological approach popularized by critical race theorists is used in this article to oppose dominant discourse concerning the social and educational status of Black men in America. Specifically, this counternarrative on student achievement was derived from face‐to‐face individual interviews with 143 Black male undergraduates at 30 predominantly White colleges and universities across the USA. Exemplified via five composites constructed from…
Access and Equity for African American Students in Higher Education
Policies that have affected enrollments and degree attainment rates for African American students throughout the lifespan of higher education are analyzed in this article. Historically noteworthy progressive steps toward access and equity are juxtaposed with recent indicators of regression. Critical Race Theory is employed as an analytical framework for understanding how white supremacy and racist ideologies have shaped and undermined various pol…
Masculine Socialization and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men
Aspects of masculine socialization among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and potential corresponding influences on high-risk sexual behaviors are explored in this study. Individual interviews were conducted with 29 Black MSM in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings included (1) formative masculine socialization experiences marked by an absence of biological fathers and Black male role models, (2) negative perceptions of 'gay' identities and communitie…
Realizing the Intended Outcomes of Brown
Equitable access to social mobility and advancement through education were among the intended outcomes of the Brown v. Board of Education case and related legislation. Despite this, scholars have illuminated the ways in which colleges, universities, and schools continually disadvantage African American male students. Although the evidence overwhelmingly confirms that many of the goals and promises of Brown remain unfulfilled, a different perspect…
Student Organizations as Venues for Black Identity Expression and Development among African American Male Student Leaders
Ways in which membership in student organizations, both predominantly Black and mainstream, provide space for Black identity expression and development were explored in this study. Based on individual interviews conducted with African American male student leaders at six predominantly White universities, findings reveal a nexus between Black identity status, the selection of venues for out-of-class engagement, and the use of student organizations…
Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation
This chapter synthesizes fifteen years of published research on campus racial climates. It also presents nine themes that emerged from a qualitative study of campus racial climates at five predominantly White universities.
Peer Support for African American Male College Achievement
Theorists posit that the social reinforcement of racially oppressive assumptions eventually works its way into the psyche of African Americans and negatively shapes the way they see themselves and others within their race. Some scholars have attempted to prove and others have subsequently disputed the idea that school achievement within African American peer groups is seen as “acting White.” In this study, internalized racism and Fordham and Ogbu…
Niggers no more
A methodological approach popularized by critical race theorists is used in this article to oppose dominant discourse concerning the social and educational status of Black men in America. Specifically, this counternarrative on student achievement was derived from face‐to‐face individual interviews with 143 Black male undergraduates at 30 predominantly White colleges and universities across the USA. Exemplified via five composites constructed from…
Access and Equity for African American Students in Higher Education
Policies that have affected enrollments and degree attainment rates for African American students throughout the lifespan of higher education are analyzed in this article. Historically noteworthy progressive steps toward access and equity are juxtaposed with recent indicators of regression. Critical Race Theory is employed as an analytical framework for understanding how white supremacy and racist ideologies have shaped and undermined various pol…
Success in These Schools? Visual Counternarratives of Young Men of Color and Urban High Schools They Attend
The overwhelming majority of published scholarship on urban high schools in the United States focuses on problems of inadequacy, instability, underperformance, and violence. Similarly, across all schooling contexts, most of what has been written about young men of color continually reinforces deficit narratives about their educational possibility. Taken together, images of Black and Latino male students in inner-city schools often manufacture dar…
Masculine Socialization and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men
Aspects of masculine socialization among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and potential corresponding influences on high-risk sexual behaviors are explored in this study. Individual interviews were conducted with 29 Black MSM in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings included (1) formative masculine socialization experiences marked by an absence of biological fathers and Black male role models, (2) negative perceptions of 'gay' identities and communitie…
Peer Support for African American Male College Achievement
Theorists posit that the social reinforcement of racially oppressive assumptions eventually works its way into the psyche of African Americans and negatively shapes the way they see themselves and others within their race. Some scholars have attempted to prove and others have subsequently disputed the idea that school achievement within African American peer groups is seen as “acting White.” In this study, internalized racism and Fordham and Ogbu…
Gender Differences in Student Engagement Among African American Undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Differences in student engagement between women and men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are examined in this study. Data were collected from 1,167 African American undergraduate students at 12 four-year HBCUs that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Controlling for several factors that might obscure gender differences, the results counter previous research regarding gender gaps on HBCU campuses by il…
Race and rhetoric
A Critical Race Case Analysis of Black Undergraduate Student Success at an Urban University
Presented in this article is a case study of Black students’ enrollment, persistence, and graduation at Cityville University, an urban commuter institution. We combine quantitative data from the University’s Office of Institutional Research and the U.S. Department of Education with qualitative insights gathered in interviews with students, faculty, and administrators. We then use tenets, theses, and propositions from Critical Race Theory to analy…
Realizing the Intended Outcomes of Brown
Equitable access to social mobility and advancement through education were among the intended outcomes of the Brown v. Board of Education case and related legislation. Despite this, scholars have illuminated the ways in which colleges, universities, and schools continually disadvantage African American male students. Although the evidence overwhelmingly confirms that many of the goals and promises of Brown remain unfulfilled, a different perspect…
Beyond bad behaving brothers
Research on fraternity men focuses almost exclusively on problematic behaviors such as homophobia and sexism, alcohol abuse, violence against women, sexual promiscuity, and the overrepresentation of members among campus judicial offenders. Consequently, little is known about those who perform masculinities in healthy and productive ways. Presented in this article are findings from a qualitative study of productive masculinities and behaviors amon…
Covid-19 and the Racial Equity Implications of Reopening College and University Campuses
COVID-19 forced many colleges and universities to suspend in-person operations in spring 2020. Students and instructors abruptly shifted to virtual learning and teaching, and most employees began working remotely during the global pandemic. Presented in this article are 12 racial equity implications for federal and state policy makers, as well as higher education leaders, as they consider reopening campuses across the United States
In Search of Progressive Black Masculinities
During the last several decades, research concerning the developmental trajectories, experiences, and behaviors of college men as 'gendered' persons has emerged. In this article, we first critically review literature on Black men's gender development and expressions within college contexts to highlight certain knowledge gaps. We then conceptualize and discuss progressive Black masculinities by relying on Mutua's germinal work on the subject. Furt…
Understanding Femmephobia Within Queer Communities
Guided by the perspectives of 50 gay Latino men in college, this qualitative study examines notions of femmephobia within queer communities, the various ways it is manifested, and the effects it has on gay Latinos. Because femmephobia is not an outgrowth nor confined to queer communities, connections to systems of oppression are made. Data stem from interviews and participation in a private social media page with gay Latino men. Through a narrati…
Black People vs. Educational Culprits Engaged in Our Systemic Mass Incarceration in the United States of America
Eight culprits in the systematic mass incarceration of black people are interrogated in this fictitious courtroom proceeding. Each defendant is somehow involved in the ecosystem of schooling that ruins the lives of millions of black students and their families via racist discipline policies and practices. Accountability for the insufficient preparation of prospective teachers and school leaders, as well as the inadequacy of professional developme…
Gender Differences in Student Engagement Among African American Undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Differences in student engagement between women and men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are examined in this study. Data were collected from 1,167 African American undergraduate students at 12 four-year HBCUs that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Controlling for several factors that might obscure gender differences, the results counter previous research regarding gender gaps on HBCU campuses by il…
Student Organizations as Venues for Black Identity Expression and Development among African American Male Student Leaders
Ways in which membership in student organizations, both predominantly Black and mainstream, provide space for Black identity expression and development were explored in this study. Based on individual interviews conducted with African American male student leaders at six predominantly White universities, findings reveal a nexus between Black identity status, the selection of venues for out-of-class engagement, and the use of student organizations…
Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation
This chapter synthesizes fifteen years of published research on campus racial climates. It also presents nine themes that emerged from a qualitative study of campus racial climates at five predominantly White universities.
Peer Support for African American Male College Achievement
Theorists posit that the social reinforcement of racially oppressive assumptions eventually works its way into the psyche of African Americans and negatively shapes the way they see themselves and others within their race. Some scholars have attempted to prove and others have subsequently disputed the idea that school achievement within African American peer groups is seen as “acting White.” In this study, internalized racism and Fordham and Ogbu…
Realizing the Intended Outcomes of Brown
Equitable access to social mobility and advancement through education were among the intended outcomes of the Brown v. Board of Education case and related legislation. Despite this, scholars have illuminated the ways in which colleges, universities, and schools continually disadvantage African American male students. Although the evidence overwhelmingly confirms that many of the goals and promises of Brown remain unfulfilled, a different perspect…
Niggers no more
A methodological approach popularized by critical race theorists is used in this article to oppose dominant discourse concerning the social and educational status of Black men in America. Specifically, this counternarrative on student achievement was derived from face‐to‐face individual interviews with 143 Black male undergraduates at 30 predominantly White colleges and universities across the USA. Exemplified via five composites constructed from…
Access and Equity for African American Students in Higher Education
Policies that have affected enrollments and degree attainment rates for African American students throughout the lifespan of higher education are analyzed in this article. Historically noteworthy progressive steps toward access and equity are juxtaposed with recent indicators of regression. Critical Race Theory is employed as an analytical framework for understanding how white supremacy and racist ideologies have shaped and undermined various pol…
Masculine Socialization and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men
Aspects of masculine socialization among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and potential corresponding influences on high-risk sexual behaviors are explored in this study. Individual interviews were conducted with 29 Black MSM in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings included (1) formative masculine socialization experiences marked by an absence of biological fathers and Black male role models, (2) negative perceptions of 'gay' identities and communitie…
An anti‐deficit achievement framework for research on students of color in STEM
A framework adapted from the National Black Male College Achievement Study is introduced in this chapter as a lens through which to explore the enablers of student achievement in STEM. The chapter places an emphasis on reframing deficit‐oriented research questions regarding students of color and their trajectories in STEM fields.
Race without Racism
This article analyzes 255 articles published in seven peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period and presents examples of how higher education researchers undertake the study of campus racial climates; racial differences in access, outcomes, and attainment; and the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators of color on predominantly White campuses without explicitly considering racism or attributing quantified racial inequities to rac…
Am I My Brother’s Teacher? Black Undergraduates, Racial Socialization, and Peer Pedagogies in Predominantly White Postsecondary Contexts
Editors’ Afterword
Toward Complex and Inclusive Studies of Sex Scripts, College Students’ Sexual Behaviors, and Hookup Cultures on U.S. Campuses
Much attention has been devoted in recent years to students “hooking up” on collegeand university campuses across the United States. Hookups broadly entail sexual behaviors that range from anal and vaginal intercourse to oral sex, masturbation, and other physically pleasurable activities. In this article, we synthesize the literature on college hookup cultures. Specifically, we use sexual scripting theory to analyze and critique existing peer-rev…
Beyond bad behaving brothers
Research on fraternity men focuses almost exclusively on problematic behaviors such as homophobia and sexism, alcohol abuse, violence against women, sexual promiscuity, and the overrepresentation of members among campus judicial offenders. Consequently, little is known about those who perform masculinities in healthy and productive ways. Presented in this article are findings from a qualitative study of productive masculinities and behaviors amon…
In Search of Progressive Black Masculinities
During the last several decades, research concerning the developmental trajectories, experiences, and behaviors of college men as 'gendered' persons has emerged. In this article, we first critically review literature on Black men's gender development and expressions within college contexts to highlight certain knowledge gaps. We then conceptualize and discuss progressive Black masculinities by relying on Mutua's germinal work on the subject. Furt…
Black Male College Achievers and Resistant Responses to Racist Stereotypes at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities
In this article, Shaun R. Harper investigates how Black undergraduate men respond to and resist the internalization of racist stereotypes at predominantly White colleges and universities. Prior studies consistently show that racial stereotypes are commonplace on many campuses, that their effects are usually psychologically and academically hazardous, and that Black undergraduate men are often among the most stereotyped populations in higher educa…
Success in These Schools? Visual Counternarratives of Young Men of Color and Urban High Schools They Attend
The overwhelming majority of published scholarship on urban high schools in the United States focuses on problems of inadequacy, instability, underperformance, and violence. Similarly, across all schooling contexts, most of what has been written about young men of color continually reinforces deficit narratives about their educational possibility. Taken together, images of Black and Latino male students in inner-city schools often manufacture dar…
Race and rhetoric
A Critical Race Case Analysis of Black Undergraduate Student Success at an Urban University
Presented in this article is a case study of Black students’ enrollment, persistence, and graduation at Cityville University, an urban commuter institution. We combine quantitative data from the University’s Office of Institutional Research and the U.S. Department of Education with qualitative insights gathered in interviews with students, faculty, and administrators. We then use tenets, theses, and propositions from Critical Race Theory to analy…
Covid-19 and the Racial Equity Implications of Reopening College and University Campuses
COVID-19 forced many colleges and universities to suspend in-person operations in spring 2020. Students and instructors abruptly shifted to virtual learning and teaching, and most employees began working remotely during the global pandemic. Presented in this article are 12 racial equity implications for federal and state policy makers, as well as higher education leaders, as they consider reopening campuses across the United States
Black People vs. Educational Culprits Engaged in Our Systemic Mass Incarceration in the United States of America
Eight culprits in the systematic mass incarceration of black people are interrogated in this fictitious courtroom proceeding. Each defendant is somehow involved in the ecosystem of schooling that ruins the lives of millions of black students and their families via racist discipline policies and practices. Accountability for the insufficient preparation of prospective teachers and school leaders, as well as the inadequacy of professional developme…
Understanding Femmephobia Within Queer Communities
Guided by the perspectives of 50 gay Latino men in college, this qualitative study examines notions of femmephobia within queer communities, the various ways it is manifested, and the effects it has on gay Latinos. Because femmephobia is not an outgrowth nor confined to queer communities, connections to systems of oppression are made. Data stem from interviews and participation in a private social media page with gay Latino men. Through a narrati…
Qualitative encounters with anti-drag legislation
When Civil Rights Frames Fail
Consequences of and Responses to Politicized Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Schools
Sociology (20 works) · Gender Studies (16 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Political science (14 works) · Critical Race Theory in Education (13 works) · Higher education (13 works) · Higher Education Research Studies (13 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works)