Reclaiming the past and transforming our future: Introduction to the special issue on foundational contributions of Black scholars in psychology.

The contributions of Black scholars to psychology have been erased or marginalized within mainstream, U.S.-centered psychology. As such, psychologists and trainees have little exposure to strengths-based theories and schools of thought that center and humanize the experiences of people of African descent. This special issue intervenes on anti-Black racism at the epistemic level by curating a review of foundational contributions by diverse Black scholars in psychology and related fields. The special issue is organized around five integrative and overlapping themes: (a) Black scholars who have written on topics related to race, racism, and racial identity; (b) schools of thought that embody decolonial, liberation, and African psychologies and the scholars writing within these traditions; (c) scholars who have created new theories and approaches to conceptualizing the mental health of Black children, youth, and families; (d) Black scholars adopting an intersectional lens to research and practice; and (e) Black scholars creating spaces within existing organizations to theorize about and research the experiences of people of African descent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Marginality in Inquiry-Based Science Learning Contexts: The Role of Exclusion Cascades.

Recent science education reforms have incorporated a range of Vygotskyan-inspired theories of learning, which has been conducive to studies of learners' participation in scientific practices. Yet, these theories vary in their emphasis on local sociocultural context's relationship to broader sociohistorical context as contributors to science learning, in some cases limiting these studies' ability to challenge adaptationist tendencies. The present study examined identity and motivation processes in an inquiry science context with the goal of better historicizing these processes by describing the phenomenon of exclusion cascades in relation to two backgrounded cultural-historical processes, alienation and the social division of labor. This microgenetic case study employed videorecorded observations of two small group collaborations in 7th grade inquiry science classrooms. Exclusion cascades involve a series of peer interactions inside the group that produce a marginal position for a given group member and exceed the grain size of an interactional turn. Analysis of exclusion cascades allowed the mutual constitution of competence and belonging to be observed, highlighting an interplay between academic and peer status hierarchies in group functioning. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed with a focus on how future work can challenge adaptationism in science education.