ABSTRACT
Howard and Tappan have written a thoughtful and engaging essay in which they assert that rather than seeing identity solely as economic status it is beneficial to use the concept of identity to create an explanatory framework for understanding social class. To provide the rationale for class analysis, they preface their chapter with a compelling review of the growing inequities in schools and society. They make a broad theoretical sweep to explain the relevance of correspondence theory, habitus, performance theory, and ideology to understanding class relations. I was delighted that the authors’ mentioned “moral ideologies” because I am convinced that the moral prerogatives that undergird scholarly work must be articulated. I personally am explicit in insisting on the necessity of basing one’s scholarly contributions on a social reciprocity morality that acknowledges human commonalities and interdependence, and considers human’s impact on the environment (Brantlinger, 2007, 2008, in press). I choose to base my practice on a socially inclusive, communitarian ethic that contrasts to the reigning competitive, individualistic moralities that validate social hierarchies in meritocratic schools and other arenas of capitalist social life.
