The Polarization of Privilege

EQUITY STUDIES IN EDUCATION LECTURE

Decades of research and scholarship have explored social privilege in its many dimensions. Yet, privilege remains a thorny topic and difficult to talk about, inciting eye-rolling, confusion, denial, resentment, and perhaps even rage, among other responses. Walton argues that building understanding of equity relies on reshaping educational approaches to teaching about privilege. Recognizing the risks of polarization in spaces of learning, Walton insists that it is up to social justice scholars and educators to find ways to mitigate it. In his view, the work is especially incumbent upon those who, like himself, benefit from social privilege. His presentation for Equity Studies in Education focuses on how scholars and educators can teach about social privilege in ways that engage all students, even the most resentful ones. The question is: how?