David Gillborn
Recently described as Britain’s ‘most influential race theorist in education’, David Gillborn is recognized internationally as a leading writer in the field and was honoured for his work ‘promoting multicultural education’ by the American Educational Research Association special interest group on the Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education. His new book, Racism and Education: coincidence or conspiracy? , is the first major application of Critical Race Theory to the English school system. David is Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London and is founding editor of the Routledge journal Race, Ethnicity and Education.
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David has written, edited or contributed to the following books from Routledge:
Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education
The emergence of Critical Race Theory (CRT) marked an important point in the history of racial politics in the legal academy and the broader conversation…
read moreFebruary 2009 | Paperback: 978-0-415-96144-8 (Routledge)
more information about Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education
Racism and Education
Coincidence or Conspiracy?
Education policy is not designed to eliminate race inequality but to sustain it at manageable levels. This is the inescapable conclusion of the first major…
read more2008 | Paperback: 978-0-415-41898-0 (Routledge)
The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Multicultural Education
Critical Perspectives on Race, Racism and Education
This unique publication brings together scholarship from both sides of the Atlantic, focusing on the central questions that shape the field of multicultural education. It… read more2004 | Paperback: 978-0-415-33663-5 (Routledge)
more information about The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Multicultural Education
Race, Ethnicity and Education
Teaching and Learning in Multi-Ethnic Schools
This book is a major new investigation into the issues of 'race', ethnicity and education, following the educational reforms during the late 1980s. It provides… read more1990 | Paperback: 978-0-04-445398-7 (Routledge)
David Gillborn is best known for his work on race inequalities in education, ranging from in-depth qualitative studies to analyses of racism in research and policy debates nationally and internationally. His recent publications with Routledge explore the mechanisms by which racism, and the interests of White people, define the priorities and practices that shape contemporary education.
Racism and Education: Coincidence or Conspiracy? shows how racism saturates the education system, often working through assumptions and beliefs that appear natural and ‘common sense’ to White people. It challenges the view that race inequalities are shrinking and argues that education policy functions, not to eradicate inequality, but to maintain it at manageable levels. The book covers a broad range of issues including the role of assessments in creating race inequity; how discredited beliefs about race and intelligence are given new life through the ‘gifted and talented’ scheme; the government’s betrayal of Stephen Lawrence; and how stereotypes of ‘model minorities’ are created and used to bolster the system. The book is written from the perspective of ‘Critical Race Theory’ (CRT) a radical approach that began in US legal studies and is now producing some of the most dynamic research on both sides of the Atlantic. Drawing on legal insights the book explores the idea that racism operates as a form of conspiracy; one that is created through the actions of millions of people and shielded from scrutiny by everyday assumptions that operate to reinforce and naturalize racist inequalities. Richard Delgado, one of the founding critical race theorists, has described the study as ‘a wonderful, rich book with a bold, audacious premise, clear writing, and a reader-friendly structure and plot line [proposing an] astonishing thesis about Whiteness and power’. Drawing on a wide range of data (from studies of classroom life through to national statistics) the analysis is as compelling as it is controversial.
David is the founding editor of Race, Ethnicity and Education, an international refereed journal that publishes critical research on race and ethnic inequities in education. Working with his associate editor (Annette Henry, of the University of Washington, Tacoma, USA) and a distinguished board of internationally recognised scholars, David has helped establish the journal as one of the leading forums for research on race inequalities in education. Published by Routledge and now its eleventh year, the journal is read in more than 120 countries worldwide.
David is also co-editor of the The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Multicultural Education, which he devised with Gloria Ladson-Billings (of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA) one of the World’s leading authorities in the field and a past President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The volume is unique in bringing together some of the leading research from the UK and US. The collection is highly accessible and organised around four key themes: first, theories, looking at how race and racism have been conceptualised and redefined; second, identities, considers the intersection of race, class and gender; the third section, practices, includes studies of life inside diverse classrooms where inequalities are made and resisted on a daily basis; the final section, methods, challenges some of the taken-for-granted assumptions that shape contemporary research and debate.
David’s next book project builds on this recent work: Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education will bring together essential readings that have shaped the use of CRT in education. David is currently working with his co-editors Gloria Ladson-Billings and Edward Taylor (of the University of Washington, Seattle, USA) to create a blend of the most insightful and powerful analyses that develop and apply critical race perspectives. The collection will include some of the foundational legal materials as well as studies located within education (on both sides of the Atlantic). CRT is gaining in popularity among educational researchers, especially young scholars keen to break with the limited insights of conventional approaches. At the same time, however, the approach is also attracting a great deal of criticism – much of it based on misunderstandings and myths about CRT. This collection will make key readings accessible in one place, to the benefit of anyone with an interest in understanding how racism works in – and through – education. David’s first book, Race, Ethnicity and Education used detailed qualitative research to show how racism operated through the everyday expectations and actions of teachers. It was one of the first UK studies to use ethnographic methods to document racist practices in the everyday lives of schools.
In addition to his academic research David is also active in antiracist politics. He has worked with numerous advocacy groups and campaigning organizations including The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, the London Schools and the Black Child Conference, the National Children’s Bureau, and the Tell It Like It Is Campaign.
Since 1992 he has worked at the Institute of Education, University of London. David’s other publications include Racism and Antiracism in Real Schools (Open University Press, 1995), which looks at the politics of successful antiracist reform, and Rationing Education: Policy, Practice, Reform and Equity with Deborah Youdell (Open University Press, 2000), documenting the racist impact of Thatcherite policy, including the imposition of school league tables and increased selection within schools. The latter was named ‘best book in the field of educational studies’ (2000) by the Standing Conference on Studies in Education (SCSE)/Society for Educational Studies (SES). David has lectured internationally including spells as a Visiting Scholar at the Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto, Canada. He has served on the editorial board of several journals including the International Journal of Inclusive Education, the International Journal on School Disaffection, and The Urban Review.
In 2006 he was given a personal award for ‘meritorious service promoting multicultural education’ by the American Educational Research Association special interest group for the Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education.
