Book Groups in the Social Justice Unionism Movement

An Analysis of Teachers’ Reasons for Participation

Abstract

Abstract: The past decade has seen a rise in social justice teacher unionism, with an emergence of caucuses that focus on bottom-up, race conscious union reform focused on bargaining for the common good. While a burgeoning body of scholarship has focused on understanding the goals and interworkings of these caucuses, there are few up-close accounts of their political education efforts. This study focuses on an annual series of interconnected book groups and aims to understand teachers’ reasons for joining the groups and the role the groups play in the organization’s larger goals. Findings indicate that participants saw building the base, developing skills, deepening analyses, and planning action as four core functions of the groups. After analyzing subcategories within each finding, this article discusses tensions that arise in locating book groups within a political organization and implications for teachers, organizers, teacher educators, and researchers.