Student Participation and Social Difference 203be more silent in law school classrooms, then any differences these students bring
with them in terms of experience or background are not given voice in the crucial
initial socialization process. To the extent that these differences in experience re-
flect race, gender, class, or other aspects of social identity, we again see aspects of
social structure and difference pushed to the margins of legal discourse.^102 Thus,
in addition to this tendency in the content of the message law students are receiv-
ing, we find a possible reinforcement of the marginalization in the actual structure
of voices in some law school classrooms.
This raises a concern about the overall culture of the classroom, an issue that
is independent of concerns about student performance on exams or individual
student motivations. Even if there is no connection between class participation and
grades, we can still ask what the classroom culture conveys to students about law
and its central priorities, particularly during an important initiation into legal think-
ing. Correlatively, we can also ask what message is conveyed to students regarding
which voices can speak in the language of the law. If certain voices, attitudes, and
experiences become invisible during lawyers’ formative training, this could send a
message about what the law values (and about what is deemed unimportant or
irrelevant). Of course, we need to proceed with some caution in developing an
understanding of how cultural invisibility and dominance become features of train-
ing across different law school classrooms. As we have seen, any simplistic or ho-
mogeneous model of this process is likely to be inaccurate. However, to the degree
that we find an erasure of the voices and experiences of traditionally marginalized
people, we uncover important clues to the underlying worldview that, consciously
or not, is conveyed to law students. We also gain a better understanding of fea-
tures of the law school experience that may contribute to differential alienation
and marginalization on the part of students of color and women.