Distancing the Past

Distancing the Past unravels the subtle yet potent roles of schooling in sustaining social inequality. With persuasive clarity, Dr. Teeger exposes critical ways that educators shape students’ perceptions by diluting their awareness of apartheid's enduring legacy. This book is a thought-provoking examination of educational socialization that sculpts social divisions for the next generation. -- Prudence L. Carter, author of <i>Stubborn Roots: Race, Culture, and Inequality in U.S. and South African Schools</i> Chana Teeger deftly shows that the past can be embraced or held at a distance, and there are complex reasons for both approaches. This book is a tour de force of ethnography and memory studies! -- Jeffrey K. Olick, author of <i>The Politics of Regret: On Collective Memory and Historical Responsibility </i> Elegantly composed, concisely written, lively, and provocative, Chana Teeger’s theoretically ambitious Distancing the Past examines education, collective memory, racial repression, and their intersection in post-apartheid South Africa. Based on impressive empirical research in two schools, the book provides crucial lessons on “color-blind” teaching for many contexts, including the United States. -- Joachim J. Savelsberg, author of <i>Knowing about Genocide: Armenian Suffering and Epistemic Struggles</i> Revealing how students are taught a color-blind perspective on race in history class just one generation after the end of apartheid, Teeger shows how any recognition of systemic racism is buried as historical artifact and viewed as “grudges” against white South Africans, despite evidence in students’ own lives to the contrary. A must-read for anyone interested in the production of race frames in schools. Highly recommended! -- Natasha Warikoo, author of <i>Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools</i> In this brilliant ethnography Chana Teeger analyzes how young South Africans learn about apartheid and the history of the struggle to overthrow it in their high school classrooms. Expertly researched, beautifully written, and filled with deep insights into the nature of race relations and the teaching of history, this book should be widely read everywhere difficult histories need to be reckoned with. -- Mary C. Waters, coauthor of <i>Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age</i>