The Changing Faces of Race and Gender in the United States

The Changing Faces of Race and Gender in the United States takes a close look at how the socio-political context of the late 20th century has affected the fabric of American life for adolescents and how youth, living in a diverse American society, negotiate a sense of self in the context of race, ethnicity, and gender.

• Discusses the central issues of successful adolescent development in light of the current social, cultural, and political climate using the racial and ethnic identity stories of different adolescents in the 1990s and early 21st century as case studies
• Focuses on the diversity and complexity of our society, including the variety of value systems available to youth and the variety of groups in which they participate
• Approaches identity as both a motivational force and a reservoir of resources that enables youth to establish their sense of self as they progress through their lives
• Establishes theoretical paradigms and their implications for youth development in contemporary and future conditions, and implications for U.S. policy and practice regarding race, ethnicity, and gender

Celina Chatman-Nelson is an independent consultant in child and youth development and social policy research. She was associate director for the Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy at Erikson Institute until 2009, where she directed the center’s efforts to translate findings from its research on early childhood policies in ways that can directly impact policy decisions and actions. Dr. Chatman-Nelson previously was associate director for the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, and prior to that was a research associate at the University of Michigan. Her research focused on adolescent identity and achievement motivation in the context of race and ethnicity. Other recent publications include Developmental Pathways Through Middle Childhood and Navigating the Future: Social Identity, Coping, and Life Tasks. Dr. Chatman-Nelson completed her undergraduate studies at the Ohio State University and received a Ph.D. in psychology from Rutgers University.
Oksana Malanchuk is Senior Research Associate in the Achievement Research Lab at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. She serves as Project Manager on the Maryland Adolescent Development In Context Study (MADICS). She received her B.A. (Psychology) and Ph.D. (Social Psychology) degrees from The University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the study of social identity development, specifically gender, racial/ethnic, political and occupational identity.
Jacquelynne Eccles is the McKeachie and Pintrich Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Education, as well as a research scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Over the last 30 years, she has conducted research on a wide variety of topics including gender-role socialization, teacher expectancies, classroom influences on student motivation and social development in the family and school context and racial/ethnic identity development. Much of her research is based on her Expectancy-Value Model and examines adolescence as a critical period of development of multiple social and personal identities. Dr. Eccles has served as the past chair of the Advisory Committee for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Directorate at the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the MacArthur Foundation Network on Successful Adolescent Development and Chair of the MacArthur Foundation on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood. Dr. Eccles has been the associate editor of Child Development and is co-author of Women and Sex-Roles and Managing to Succeed. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1974. Dr. Eccles has served on the faculty at Smith College, the University of Colorado, and the University of Michigan.