Goodness Personified: The Emergence of Gifted Children

This paper explores the emergence of “gifted children” as a recognized, enforceable social category. The paper begins with an examination of psychologists' representation of “gifted children” during the first decades of the century. In particular, attention is drawn to early gifted child scholars' emphasis on the superiority of the white upper classes and the inferiority of dark-skinned and working-class peoples. The second part of the paper deals with continuities and discontinuities in later gifted child writings. Despite the current discussion of “cultural relativism,” “pluralism,” and “inclusion” within gifted child education, the themes of racism and classism are still evident.