Between Two Worlds: Black Students in an Urban Community College

by Lois Weis

First published in 1985, this book explores the ‘lived culture’ of urban black students in a community college located in a large northeastern city in the United States. The author immersed herself in the institution she was studying for a full academic year, exploring both the direct experiences of education, and the way these experiences were worked over and through the praxis of cultural discourse. She examines in detail the messages of the school, including the ‘hidden curriculum’ and faculty perspectives, as well as the way these messages are transformed at a cultural level. The resulting work provides a major contribution to a number of debates on education and cultural and economic reproduction, as well as a leap forward in our understanding of the role schooling plays in the re-creation of race and class antagonisms. This work will be of great interest to anyone working with minorities, particularly in the context of education.

220 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1985

About the author

Dr. Weis is author, co-author or editor of numerous books and articles that focus on race, class and gender in American schools.

Dr. Weis is Past President of the American Educational Studies Association and is on the editorial boards of several journals, including Educational Policy, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education and Review of Educational Research.

Dr. Weis was awarded the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty rank in the State University of New York system. The award recognizes full professors of national or international prominence for outstanding achievement in research and scholarship. In addition, Weis and co-author Michelle Fine received the 2006 Critic Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association for their book, Beyond Silenced Voices: Class, Race, and Gender in United States School.