Understanding Prejudice and Education: The challenge for future generations - Tapa dura

Conrad Hughes does us a real service in providing a very well-founded understanding of prejudice. But he goes further, and takes it beyond inert knowledge into cogent classroom practice aimed at countering prejudice, changing pernicious beliefs, and developing values which pay more than lip-service to this fundamental human right. This is a book for all teachers and those who train them.

Professor Doug Newton, Durham University, UK

Conrad Hughes’ work is an original and profound contribution to academic literature in the field of education. He investigates a problem that is at once age-old and extremely contemporary: how to transform inequality and discrimination and by which intellectual, educational and pedagogical means. This book opens new theoretical and practical perspectives for critically-minded educators working in multicultural contexts.

Professor Abdeljalil Akkari, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Few writers could have a more suitable preparation for writing this book than Conrad Hughes...Critical thinking, a speciality of the author, is offered as a tool for clarifying and refining one's own thoughts and assumptions... These intangible topics are treated with all the competence and care one would expect from an authority on the IB's Theory of Knowledge programme.

Richard Pearce, International Schools Journal, Vol XXXVII No. 2 April 2018

What is prejudice in the 21st Century and how can education help to reduce it?

This original text discusses prejudice in detail, offering a clear analysis of research and theory on prejudice and prejudice reduction, drawn from findings in social psychology, critical thinking and education. Presenting the underlying principle that prejudice can be reduced through the development of four core attributes – empathy, understanding, cognitive flexibility and metacognitive thought – the book offers effective educational strategies for preparing young people for life.

Chapters explore a range of examples of classroom practice and provide a thorough engagement with the minefield of prejudice, set against challenging sociological, ideological, political and cultural questions. An integrative framework is included that can be adapted and adopted in schools, synthesising findings and emphasising the need for individuals and groups to work against preconceived beliefs and emotional reactions to situations, offering contra-intuitive, rational and affective responses.

Understanding Prejudice and Education is essential reading for all those engaged in relevant undergraduate, Master’s level and postgraduate courses in education, social psychology and cultural studies, as well as teachers and school leaders interested in developing strategies to reduce prejudice in their schools.