How do these issues interact?

Racism Sexism Classism Homophobia

There exists a dialogue about how racism pervades in geography – whether it be the naming of certain cities according to their white colonists, or the difficulty in finding geographic data about how races have been moved and resettled. It is a dynamic curricular strand and also should be not be cut off by the wider array of discussion regarding race. It is a racialized subject that frequently posits the white viewpoint and shows maps that uphold the common, western-centric perspectives.

Is the lack of a geographic map regarding racism upholding racist values? If we deny the opportunity the see the geography of racist viewpoints and how territory has evolved, are we continuing the pattern? Racism is prevalent in geography in the same way that it is present in history–geography presents an opinion, a perspective that has been developed over time. If we are to work against this trend, we must ask ourselves about the motives of each map or statistic that gets presented in our classrooms.

Geography is not a static entity and thus should include the discussions of the current day – how settlements have developed, how racial attitudes have changed or have not, and should foster some sense of critical thinking in subjects that might seem overtly one-dimensional at first glance. It is denying students when one assumes that racist acts are confined to personal bigotry, and not expanded to include the assumption that we often take the assumption of whiteness as ‘normal’. Do we control student perspectives by picking and choosing the information that we present them?

Unraveling this subject in a classroom is an invitation to anxiety and anger among students. But what is the bigger evil? Bringing tough issues to a head among students, or denying them the chance to see things as they really are?

Gender equity in education There is inequity within the education system around the world today In the majority, females are more illiterate, are less likely to finish school, or more likely to not possess any education at all. This ultimately affects the ability of the individual for basic skills, jobs, and future potential

Two thirds of the 774 million adult illiterates worldwide are women The same proportion for the past 20 years and across most regions 72 million children of primary school age are not attending school, out of which over 39 million (or 54 per cent) are girls

Women in tertiary education are significantly underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering; however, they remain predominant in education, health and welfare, social sciences, and humanities and arts However, the global number of adult illiterates has declined modestly over the past two decades Literacy rates for young women and men have shown significant improvement over the past two decades and the gender gap has narrowed

Class consists of a large group of people who share a similar economic and/or social position based on their income, wealth, property ownership, job status, education, skills, or power in the economic and political spheres Classism is differential treatment based on social division or perceived social division. Classism is the systematic oppression of inferior income earners to advantage and strengthen the prevailing income earners.

Classism is a set of personal and systemic assumptions, beliefs, attitudes, and practices that often discriminate against persons according to their socio-economic status. It includes differential treatment based on social class, or perceived social class It is the methodical assigning of distinctiveness of worth and ability based on social class. In many Schools, classism is still a predominant problem in discussing equity in education There is a strong link between classism, racism and poverty

People often fail to see it unfold because it is not as obvious as racism or discrimination Another reason why people often fail to see it unfold is because of mass media influence over viewers/listeners/readers believing that we have equal opportunities to succeed in Canada and the U.S. Often one’s family income is a major determinant in the success of their children when especially when they are on the lower end of the income bracket

What are some tools we can use to teach our students about classism? What are different ways we can convey our messages? How does this all tie in with geography? What are other courses we can tie the central them into?