Guest Introduction: Intersections, theories, and meanings of race, racism, and educational ethnography

The history of race and racism in our contemporary social world is geographically and globally far-reaching and particular to local contexts, not entirely understood, accepted nor obvious by all. The study of racial and racialised constructions, discourses, and production in schools, in education, and our larger social spheres is hardly new, however. This historical scholarship on race and racism is not confined to the Americas and western Europe (Anderson 2003; Bangura and Stavenhagen 2005; Fanon 1967; Painter 2010), although a number of scholars from these particular parts of the world have written on these issues (Anderson 2003; Bonilla- Silva 2003; Da´vila 2003; Doane and Bonilla-Silva 2003; Jackson 2010; Zuberi and Bonilla-Silva 2008). That educational ethnographers, researchers, and other social scientists are integrating and interrogating race theories and meanings into their historical, conceptual, and methodological lenses in schools and other educational settings is relatively recent (Connolly and Troyna 1998; Delgado and Stefancic 2001; Dyson 1993; Hartigan 2009; Klaas 2006; Ladson-Billings and Tate 1995; Leonardo 2009; Pe´rez Huber 2010; Solo´rzano 1998; Solo´rzano and Yosso 2002; Taylor, Gillborn, and Ladson-Billings 2009; Wright 1998). Worthy of significantly more study, this research is occurring despite the emergence of post-racial discourses that pervade following the appointment and election of key executive offices in North America and western Europe such as the most recent and high profile election of Barack Hussein Obama as the first President of the USA of African descent and Michaelle Jean, the first African Canadian governor general, and the concurrent election of other non-Whites to major political, religious, corporate, and military This special issue on race and ethnography addresses two significant issues. First, this special issue will explicate the complicated nature of race intersections, theories, and meanings in educational ethnography by some of the leading thinkers and emerging scholars in the field. Deliberately, the ethnographic accounts include but go beyond schooling and extend to larger educational settings bounded by unique and peculiar histories and locations. Ultimately, by blending this collage of articles into this issue by those who deliberate on the role of race in schooling and/or education, this special issue both challenges the effects of educational histories, policies, and practices by interrogating theories and meanings of race and positions race and racism in ethnography in hope of presenting new applications and developments in ethnographic methodologies, theories, and practices. This special issue only continues the conversation when it comes to developing work in understanding race meanings, intersections, and theories in educational and social sciences. With the thrust of attention given to the study of race scholarship in recent years, there is still considerable information scholars in the field need to know about how ethnographers and ethnography from diverse comparative and international schools and educational settings respond to racialised and racist practices, and challenge and develop theories about race and racism in diverse global terrains and locations. After a brief discussion regarding the continued relevance of understanding intersections, theories, and meanings of race and racism in educational ethnography, a layout of the edited volume concludes the introduction.