Jocks and Burnouts: Social Categories and Identity in the High School

Rating:
Summary: A VERY Useful Ethnography
Review: I have found this book one of the most useful ethnographies for teaching undergraduate anthropology courses focusing on schooling in cultural context. My students find the book very accessible, and often say how surprised they are at how little they understood of their own education before they encountered Eckert's work. The book successfully addresses cultural aspects by framing them in a coherent social structural analysis. Concrete examples and straighforward evidence support the theory, which is presented so well that is remains within the grasp of most undergraduate students. Perfect for complementing ethnographies of schooling outside North America. I consider this book essential reading for anyone planning to teach in the public school systems.

Rating:
Summary: A really, really, really wonderful book
Review: This book is about high school kids and the way they view themselves, others, and the worlds of school and work. It starts with stereotypes in order to go beyond them. It explores why some young men and women are in student government and others are out in the courtyard smoking -- and yet it does so with great respect for both groups, showing how each group functions as a miniature society with its own rules that make sense within their context, however well or poorly they fit in with the grownup world. It reminded me of many things from my own high school career as well! The basic premise is that a typical high school student body consists of Jocks (annoyingly enthusiastic youths with a lot of school spirit), Burnouts (working-class kids who aren't on the college track and don't see much value to school), In-Betweens, and Nerds/outcasts. By comparing the values of the Jocks and Burnouts and how they relate to economics, the job market, and social psychology, Eckert tells a fascinating story of the self-expression of emerging adults. This book should be a big help to teachers, counselors, and other people working with high school students, as well as to parents who might be confused by the seemingly senseless world of a high school.