Bad Boys

Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity by Ann Arnett Ferguson chronicles the experiences of Black boys within the "punishing room" or in-school suspension room of a public elementary school on the West Coast of the United States and details how the experiences of these boys shape their identity.Ferguson's concentration was an attempt to understand the issues and problems facing African American males within a public elementary school.The study is an ethnographic account of the experiences of 20 fifth-and sixthgrade African American boys over the course of two years.Ferguson's critical approach to the struggles of African American males reveals her desire for their emancipation from the oppression of institutions such as public schools.In the introduction, she details her attempt to leave her subjectivity out of the discussion and allows her readers to "consciously participate in the critical world of interpretation" (p.23

Masculinity · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Psychology · Gender Studies