Chapter 5: Cultural Capital, Urban Education, and School Privatization: A Critical Race Social Reproduction Analysis

Privatized suffering is not a new phenomenon in the United States. From the prison industrial system to privatized war, the wealthy have simply perpetuated the cycle of social reproduction through modernized stratagem at the expense of working-class people in America (“Trey” Marchbanks et al., 2018). This chapter examines the myriad ways that the privatization of education acts as a means of stratification for marginalized students in America. Additional arguments include those stemming from charter schools, and the various ways that the institution of alternative schooling can be detrimental to the potential success of minority students (Wilson, 2019). From the perspective of critical race social reproduction theory (CRSRT), this chapter argues that social and cultural capital, and lack thereof, within these methods of stratification combine to further expound on the immorality of both the privatization of education and charter schooling. The ultimate aim of this research is to critically examine school privatization through the lens of CRSRT and propose distinct solutions to remedy the issue. Applicable research questions are posed in this way: How has school privatization perpetuated the cycle of social reproduction in the United States? Barring the grave toxicity of such a cycle, how might CRSRT illuminate the detrimental effects of school privatization on marginalized groups in the United States, particularly Black youth?