Exposing a Culture of Neglect

Herschek T. Manuel and Mexican American Schooling

By:
Matthew D. Davis, Rowan University

A volume in the series: Research in Curriculum and Instruction. Editor(s): Cheryl J. Craig, Texas A&M.

Published 2006

In this book Professor Davis illustrates the often unexpected reach of historical research intended originally to fill a knowledge gap. He found a forgotten figure from the past who as a scholar and teacher had contributed significantly to education. Manuel’s story warranted attention, but in reconstructing it Professor Davis discovered leads to a more complex account in which the key actor, his ideas, and certain precise, albeit dynamic, social conditions intersected and influenced each other. In the end the book not only fills a gap, making the history of education in Texas and the United States more complete, it also underscores the thrust of other recent contributions to Latin American studies in casting doubt on the reliability of previously accepted standard histories. These accounts now seem dated and suspiciously wrong-headed. New research like that of Professor Davis pointedly suggests the old histories need to be reconceptualized, reorganized, and rewritten. Methodologically and substantively, his book advances work on this agenda. Specifically, it provokes fresh thinking about the now indisputably linked histories of education research, Mexican Americans, and racism in the United States.

CONTENTS
Foreword: No Ashes, No Phoenix, Donald Warren. Acknowledgments. Prologue: The Importance of a Life. SECTION I: Temperence Well Leaned (1887–1925): The Childhood and Early Career of an Educator. Indiana Roots (1887–1913). Indiana to Texas Interlude (1913–1925). SECTION II: Passion Revealed (1925–1940): “Segregation is a Dangerous Policy”. Texas Beginnings (1935–1940). Picture of Neglect and Antagonism. Psychologist as Prophet (1930–1940). SECTION III: Passion Endures (1940–1976): The Improvement of Human Relations. Model Inter-American (1940–1958). Elder Statesman (1958–1976). Epilogue: Manuel’s Legacies. Appendix: Herschel T. Manuel—Bibliography. References.

REVIEWS
"Manuel’s work at the University ofTexas as the founding scholar of Mexican-American education during the 1920s and 1930s is why he is known by education historians and Chicano scholars today. Much of Exposing a Culture of Neglect explores Manuel’s contribution to this field." Carlos Kevin Texas A&M University