Interests
My research and teaching interests focus on culturally
relevant pedagogy, urban and multicultural education in general
and immigrant education in particular.
In my research, I examine: 1) the ways in
which the education of immigrant students are shaped by dynamic
power relations as they play out at the intersection(s) of race,
ethnicity, class and gender; and 2) the ways in which classroom
and school practices may mitigate educational and social
inequalities. I engage interdisciplinary conceptual frameworks,
including critical, cultural and feminist theories. I have drawn
on the work of Homi Bhabha, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler,
among others, to explicate, critique and re-imagine the lives of
immigrant students, the work of urban teachers, and the role(s)
of critical multicultural education.
I have worked extensively with Hmong American
and Lao American students, families and communities in the Twin
Cities area. In a case study with Hmong college students, I
explored the social, cultural and economic negotiations among
working-class, first-generation students as well as the affect
of race, ethnicity, class and gender on their educational
experiences. In an ethnographic study of Lao immigrant students
at an urban, public high school I examined the ways in which we
teach and talk about cultural difference within the contexts of
“culture” and “cultural identity.” Most recently, my research
projects have included an ethnographic study involving Hmong
American high school students, parents, and community leaders.
By looking at how “culture” and “cultural
difference” play out in the practices of schools, teachers and
students, I seek to reveal the complexities of urban education
and the implications for teaching immigrant students. In my
research and teaching, I am committed to working toward equity
and social justice.
Selected publications
Ngo, B. (under contract). Temporary
Attachments: Ambivalent, Urban Immigrant Identities. New
York: SUNY Press.
Ngo, B. (in press). Ambivalent urban,
immigrant identities: The incompleteness of Lao American student
identities. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in
Education.
Ngo, B. (2008). Beyond “culture clash”
understandings of immigrant experiences. Theory into
Practice, 47(1), 4-11.
Ngo, B., and Lee, S. (2007). Complicating
the image of model minority success: A review of Southeast Asian
American education. Review of Educational Research, 77(4),
415-453.
Kumashiro, K. and Ngo, B. (Eds.) (2007).
Six Lenses for Anti-Oppressive Education: Partial Stories,
Improbable Conversations. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.
Ngo, B. (2006). Learning from the Margins:
Southeast and South Asian American Education in Context.
Race, Ethnicity and Education, 9(1), 51-65.
Ngo, B. (2003). Citing Discourses: Making
Sense of Homophobia and Heteronormativity at Dynamic High
School. Equity and Excellence in Education, 36(2),
115-124.
Ngo, B. (2002). Contesting “culture”: The
perspectives of Hmong American female students on early
marriage. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 33(2),
163-188.
Courses taught
- CI 8156—Asian American Education
- CI 8155—Immigrant Families and U.S. Schools
- CI 8154—Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
- CI 8148—Conducting Qualitative Studies in Educational
Contexts
- CI 8131—Critical Examination of Curriculum in Context
Revised January 2008
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