Contradicting the Contrarians: The Rhetoric of the Neoconservative Right in Social Studies Education.

This article considers the rhetorical argumentation used in the book Where Did Social Studies Go Wrong? (WDSSGW) by the neoconservative Right. The political condition of the U.S. has been marked by contradictions like in the ways in which the Republicans has employed multiple forces in its pursuit of consolidated power. Some have argued that these moves of consolidation are part of a larger conservative restoration. To do that, the conservatives searched for mechanisms that will work against the stronghold of liberalism: the academy and the media. Neoconservatives have mobilized foundations and think tanks in the effort to discredit what are perceived to be liberals and have now made the move into educational policy. WDSSGW operates from a philosophical position that regards not only what it means to know, but more specifically, what role social studies is to serve in public education.