{"product_id":"9781978839533-high-school","title":"The High School","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024\u003cbr\u003eHigh school yearbooks provide both a vivid snapshot of student life and a reflection of what the adults in the community valued the most. For instance, athletics are often covered more than academics, and boys’ sports routinely receive more attention than girls’ sports. But how have those values changed over time?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe High School\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed sociologist Michael A. Messner reads through 120 years of \u003ci\u003eEl Gabilan\u003c\/i\u003e, the yearbook from his own alma mater, Salinas High School in California, where his father taught and coached. Treating the yearbooks as a historical archive, Messner makes surprising discoveries about the school he thought he knew so well. For example, over fifty years before Title IX, the earliest yearbooks gave equal spotlights to boys’ and girls’ athletics, while the cheerleaders were all boys.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Tracing American life and culture from 1903 to 2024, Messner illuminates shifts in social practices at his high school that reflect broader changes in American culture across the twentieth century. \u003ci\u003eThe High School \u003c\/i\u003espotlights how the meanings and iconography of certain activities have changed radically over the decades, even as the “sports spirit complex”—involving athletes, cheerleaders, band members, and community boosters—has remained a central part of the high school experience. By exploring evolving sports cultures, socioeconomic conditions, racial demographics, and gender norms, Messner offers a fresh perspective on a defining feature of American teenage life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55507506233718,"sku":"9781978839533","price":38.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_37502657.jpg?v=1762086198","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781978839533-high-school","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}