Social Justice and International Education. Research, Practice, and Perspectives ed. by LaNitra M. Berger (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Social Justice and International Education. Research, Practice, and Perspectives ed. by LaNitra M. Berger Daniel C. Villanueva LaNitra M. Berger, editor. Social Justice and International Education. Research, Practice, and Perspectives. Washington, DC: NAFSA: The Association of International Educators 2020. 326p. To make study abroad and multicultural engagement more inclusive and transformative for more college students and the communities in which they study, what pedagogical and experiential aspects could be theorized as we enter the third decade of the new millennium? LaNitra Berger’s edited volume suggesting reimagining current study abroad programs and pedagogy through a social justice lens is one of the most recent rewarding answers to this question. Indeed, it will be of interest not only to language and culture faculty in higher education, but also to our colleagues in university administration, particularly study abroad and fellowship advising offices. Berger, an art historian by trade and Senior Director of the Office of Fellowships at George Mason University’s Honors College, frequently researches multicultural international education. Here she has assembled a multidisciplinary group “to address the ways in which the field of international education uses social justice education, curriculum design, and community engagement practices to address inequality and systems of oppression in various forms around the world” (2). The 11-chapter volume is divided into three parts: Social Justice Research, Social Justice in Practice, and 12 brief vignettes from practitioners titled Reports from the Field. Berger centers the collective inquiry around these goals: To provide multiple frameworks for defining and thinking about social justice in international education and to theorize on what educators can do now to take more decisive actions, assess outcomes, and bring more voices together in constructive dialogue about social justice and how it [End Page 263] shapes internationalization on campuses (3–4). Ambitious goals indeed, but the contributing authors capably demonstrate how creative approaches to their fulfillment are possible. Each theoretical approach and case study has fascinating methodological foundations while offering practical pedagogical implications and avenues for further research. Examples include: Shontay Delalue’s interrogation of the dynamics of multiple identities in racialized experiences of African and Caribbean students in the USA (83-109); Malaika Marable Serrano’s case study of social justice-centered programming of study abroad students in the Dominican Republic (155-72); and Becca AbuRakia-Einhorn’s article outlining the myriad considerations at play in encouraging deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing students to study abroad while accommodating their distinctiveness (191–213). Bryce Loo provides useful cultural perspective and pedagogical approaches to suggest ways to make college more attractive and feasible for refugees seeking shelter in the United States (215–45). Finally, praxis vignettes, one in poem form, provide micro-examples of larger pedagogical approaches from universities and colleges that have been found to be effective in the nonprofit space. A primary benefit is the multitude of voices, ethnicities, and perspectives of the contributors, all experienced scholar-practitioners from both public and private universities. Some are teaching and research faculty while others are administrators in various international and study abroad offices. As varied as the projects and viewpoints are, so too are the types of students and their stories. One searches in vain for traditional Eurocentric outlooks, which is all to the good. Another strength is the acknowledgement that no one approach to teaching and modeling social justice, celebrating difference, and effecting change is appropriate for every situation-–the term social justice itself is refreshingly understood to be contested and contextual. Further, although most foundational concepts and assumptions are commonly seen in the U.S. academic context, many contributors take pains to name the fact that the best international social justice pedagogy should not primarily address current U.S. student populations or U.S. administrative priorities in diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Finally, each chapter contains a useful bibliography that encourages further intellectual engagement with the material. (A marginal quibble [End Page 264] might be that there is no comprehensive index at the end of the book.) These admitted strengths of Berger’s volume must be juxtaposed with one major point of concern from the viewpoint of language and culture education. Nearly all essays fail to mention the key role of...