Privilege in America
A Reference Handbook
Will be published approx. on 5. February 2026
Book
Hardback
240 pages
979-8-7651-1666-1 (ISBN)
Description
America has long prided itself on being a meritocracy in which people have access to the same opportunities and resources in their efforts to build rewarding and financially secure lives for themselves and their families.
However, the USA has historically been a nation in which some sectors of the population have enjoyed advantages over others by virtue of their favored race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, physical attributes, or socioeconomic background.
How impactful have those privileges been in shaping current cultural, political, educational, and economic environments in the USA? This book explores that question and many more, using an approach that studies the question of privilege from a variety of illuminating perspectives. The book's opening chapters summarize the social, political, and economic evolution of privilege in the USA and discuss flashpoints of controversy and debate. Additional chapters provide personal essays from scholars and historically disadvantaged Americans, a selection of informative primary sources, an annotated bibliography of sources for further study, and a glossary of terms.
However, the USA has historically been a nation in which some sectors of the population have enjoyed advantages over others by virtue of their favored race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, physical attributes, or socioeconomic background.
How impactful have those privileges been in shaping current cultural, political, educational, and economic environments in the USA? This book explores that question and many more, using an approach that studies the question of privilege from a variety of illuminating perspectives. The book's opening chapters summarize the social, political, and economic evolution of privilege in the USA and discuss flashpoints of controversy and debate. Additional chapters provide personal essays from scholars and historically disadvantaged Americans, a selection of informative primary sources, an annotated bibliography of sources for further study, and a glossary of terms.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Young adult
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
7 bw
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
748 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7651-1666-1 (9798765116661)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Kelly McFaden, PhD, is Professor and Department Head in the Social Foundations and Leadership Education department at the University of North Georgia, USA.
Sheri Hardee, PhD, is Dean of the College of Education at the University of North Georgia, USA.
Sheri Hardee, PhD, is Dean of the College of Education at the University of North Georgia, USA.
Content
1. Background and History
Categories of Privilege: Definitions and Intersectionality
Why Examine Privilege at All? The Example of Education
A Complex History of Privilege and Oppression
Methodologies for Examining Privilege
Research on Privilege in Practice
Controversies and the Climate Surrounding Privilege
Conclusion
References
2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions
Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity
-Keystone Pipeline and Social Movements
-Black Lives Matter and the Summer of Racial Reckoning
-Anti-Asian Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic
-The 1619 Project and Nikole Hannah-Jones
Religion
-Islamophobia in the Wake of 9/11 and Today
-Roe v. Wade and Dobbs
Language: The English-Only Movement
Socioeconomic Status
-The Middle Class in America
-Immigrants and Modern Farm Practices in the United States
Sex and Gender
-#MeToo
-Anti-Trans Legislative Agenda
Queerness and Sexual Identity
-"Don't Say Gay" Bill
-Obergefell v. Hodges
Dis(Ability)
-Ableism and the COVID-19 Pandemic
-#CripTheVote
3. Perspectives
Upholding Privilege in U.S. Education Systems: The Invisibility of Immigrant Origin Students in Education Data, Elizabeth Davis
How White Parents Can Resist White Supremacy at School, Kerry Kretchmar and Jennifer L. McCarthy Foubert
Can Elite Private Educational Institutions Truly Embrace a Progressive Public Good?, Michelle A. Purdy
Privilege for All: Arguments from a So-Called Privileged White Guy, David Forbes
Hear Me Out... What Privilege Has "Meeka" Really Given Us Thus Far?, Syra Yang
Self-Identity and Oppressive Education: A Chinese Female International Student's Perspective, Jialu Fan
Complicating the Majority-Minority Paradigm: Race, Class, and Intersectionality in the United States, Christopher Hu
Privilege in Youth Mental Health, Kate Parker and Benjamin Parker
Fat, Gay, and an Immigrant: A Self-Reflection on My American Life, Olivier le Blond
Chapter 4: Profiles
People
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
Jean Halley (1967- )
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973)
Kinney Kinmon Lau (1964- )
Kate Manne (1983- )
Matthew Shepard (1976-1998)
Organizations
American Civil Liberties Union
Autism Speaks
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The Trevor Project
References
5. Documents
Sojourner Truth, "Ain't I a Woman?," 1851
Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
President Lyndon B. Johnson Signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Gloria Steinem Discusses Gender Inequality in America, 1970
Lau v. Nichols, 1974
President George H. W. Bush Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990
White Privilege and Reparations for African Americans, 2021
Understanding Wealth Inequality and Economic Privilege in America, 2021
President Donald Trump's Executive Order Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, 2025
6. Resources
Books and Articles
Documentaries
Podcasts
References
7. Chronology
Glossary
Index
Categories of Privilege: Definitions and Intersectionality
Why Examine Privilege at All? The Example of Education
A Complex History of Privilege and Oppression
Methodologies for Examining Privilege
Research on Privilege in Practice
Controversies and the Climate Surrounding Privilege
Conclusion
References
2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions
Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity
-Keystone Pipeline and Social Movements
-Black Lives Matter and the Summer of Racial Reckoning
-Anti-Asian Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic
-The 1619 Project and Nikole Hannah-Jones
Religion
-Islamophobia in the Wake of 9/11 and Today
-Roe v. Wade and Dobbs
Language: The English-Only Movement
Socioeconomic Status
-The Middle Class in America
-Immigrants and Modern Farm Practices in the United States
Sex and Gender
-#MeToo
-Anti-Trans Legislative Agenda
Queerness and Sexual Identity
-"Don't Say Gay" Bill
-Obergefell v. Hodges
Dis(Ability)
-Ableism and the COVID-19 Pandemic
-#CripTheVote
3. Perspectives
Upholding Privilege in U.S. Education Systems: The Invisibility of Immigrant Origin Students in Education Data, Elizabeth Davis
How White Parents Can Resist White Supremacy at School, Kerry Kretchmar and Jennifer L. McCarthy Foubert
Can Elite Private Educational Institutions Truly Embrace a Progressive Public Good?, Michelle A. Purdy
Privilege for All: Arguments from a So-Called Privileged White Guy, David Forbes
Hear Me Out... What Privilege Has "Meeka" Really Given Us Thus Far?, Syra Yang
Self-Identity and Oppressive Education: A Chinese Female International Student's Perspective, Jialu Fan
Complicating the Majority-Minority Paradigm: Race, Class, and Intersectionality in the United States, Christopher Hu
Privilege in Youth Mental Health, Kate Parker and Benjamin Parker
Fat, Gay, and an Immigrant: A Self-Reflection on My American Life, Olivier le Blond
Chapter 4: Profiles
People
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
Jean Halley (1967- )
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973)
Kinney Kinmon Lau (1964- )
Kate Manne (1983- )
Matthew Shepard (1976-1998)
Organizations
American Civil Liberties Union
Autism Speaks
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The Trevor Project
References
5. Documents
Sojourner Truth, "Ain't I a Woman?," 1851
Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
President Lyndon B. Johnson Signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Gloria Steinem Discusses Gender Inequality in America, 1970
Lau v. Nichols, 1974
President George H. W. Bush Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990
White Privilege and Reparations for African Americans, 2021
Understanding Wealth Inequality and Economic Privilege in America, 2021
President Donald Trump's Executive Order Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, 2025
6. Resources
Books and Articles
Documentaries
Podcasts
References
7. Chronology
Glossary
Index