Barbara Dennis: Walking with Strangers

Critical Ethnography and Educational Promise Book Review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.474

Keywords:

research methodology, Critical Theoretical Frameworks, Participatory Research

Abstract

This book review critiques Barbara Dennis’s Walking with Strangers: Critical Ethnography and Educational Promise, which tells the story of her engagement with a midwestern school district that was experiencing challenges with the increase of their transnational population. Dennis’s portrayal is an intimate and thorough example of the emotional, personal, and methodological processes involved in conducting critical participatory ethnography. This review explores the chapters in the text as they provide insight to various components of the project and provides a discussion of the strengths and challenges presented within the book.

References

Boal, A. (1979). Theatre of the oppressed. Theatre Communications Group.

Dennis, B. (2020). Walking with strangers: Critical ethnography and educational promise. Peter Lang.

Habermas, J. (1985). Truth and method. Crossroad.

Habermas, J. (1987). The theory of communicative action, Volume 1: Reason and the rationalization of society (T. McCarthy, Trans.). Beacon Press.

Indiana University Bloomington. (2024, April 12). Barbara Dennis. https://education.indiana.edu/about/directory/profiles/dennis-barbara.html

Sampson, C., & Wong, L.-S. (2024). Using qualitative data analysis software to help explore critical research questions: A tool, not a replacement. In M. D. Young & S. Diem (Eds.), Handbook of critical education research: Qualitative, quantitative, and emerging approaches (pp. 637-654). Routledge.

Teranishi, R. T. (2007). Race, ethnicity, and higher education policy: The use of critical quantitative research. New Direction for Institutional Research, 133(2007), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.203

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Published

2025-04-24

How to Cite

J. Bontrager, B. (2025). Barbara Dennis: Walking with Strangers: Critical Ethnography and Educational Promise Book Review. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 10(2), 73–75. https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.474

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): Regular Issue

Section

Book Reviews

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Copyright (c) 2025 Bailey J. Bontrager

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