Ogbu's anthropology and the critical ethnography of education: a reciprocal interrogation

Abstract

This paper reviews the work of educational anthropologist John Ogbu, comparing it with theoretical and methodological approaches in the critical ethnography of education. Ogbu's work is situated in relation to the “cultural difference” approach in the American anthropology of education. Basic concepts are introduced and important theoretical contributions are noted. Conceptual problems then are identified in Ogbu's approach, and his shortcomings from a radical perspective are highlighted. Finally, as a representative of a broader anthropological paradigm, Ogbu is brought into a critical dialogue with more radical educational ethnographers in an attempt to distinguish strengths and weaknesses in each body of research.