Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus

by Dinesh D'Souza | Nonfiction |
ISBN: 0679738576 Global Overview for this book
Registered by winghaahaahaa98wing of Watertown, Massachusetts USA on 4/9/2017
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Journal Entry 1 by winghaahaahaa98wing from Watertown, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, April 9, 2017
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Journal Entry 2 by winghaahaahaa98wing at Watertown, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, August 26, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (8/26/2018 UTC) at Watertown, Massachusetts USA

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Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on CampusIlliberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus by Dinesh D'Souza

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It's worthwhile to read a conservative screed to hone ones arguments in favor of a multicultural education. The author wrote this when he was rather young, so he might be forgiven for the way in which he meanders around a bit. This book propelled D'Souza to celebrity status, perhaps a bit too early, and perhaps prevented him from doing more serious academic work.

A proper response to this text would take a long time, but here are some starting points. Implementing a proper curriculum is not as simple as deciding whether to include works from Western or non-Western authors; perhaps that was how the debate was framed by some in the late 80s but such framing seems simple-minded in 2018. Nowhere in the work does he tout any of the benefits of communities (read student groups) that might benefit from learning about shared experience. It might be more instructive to look at someone like Martha Nussbaum who much more persuasively connects how a liberal arts education rooted in close study of core works from multiple traditions can be applied to a contemporary global society.

A number of inaccuracies populate the book. Just one example: he claims that minority student groups exclude on the basis of race or gender. This is an impossibility, and student groups who discriminate are not eligible for student group funding (nor are they allowed to host events on campus, I believe). For example I am aware of a number of non-Asian American students who were members of Asian American student groups in the mid-90s. These students wanted an extracurricular avenue outside of formalized curriculum that would enrich their collegiate experience. How is this a bad thing?

By the way, there is a huge rabbit hole to be dug when evaluating D'Souza's recent life and work. He did an anti-Obama documentary, dated conservative rabble-rousers Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, and was convicted of campaign finance fraud and then pardoned by President Trump. Woah!



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