A critical discourse analysis of racial

critical discourse analysis

Available online at http://doc.guandang.net

LinguisticsandEducation19(2008)

107–131

Acriticaldiscourseanalysisofracial

literacyinteachereducation

RebeccaRogersa, ,MelissaMosleyb

bUniversityofMissouriSt.Louis,CollegeofEducation,369MarillacHall,8001NaturalBridgeRoad,St.Louis,MO63121,UnitedStatesUniversityofTexas-Austin,CurriculumandInstruction1UniversityStationAustin,TX78712,UnitedStatesa

Abstract

Whatdoesracialliteracylookandsoundlikeinateachereducationbookclub?Usingthetoolsofcriticaldiscourseanalysis,we

describe,interpretandexplainhoweachmemberofthegroupdrawsonarangeofdiscursiveandembodiedresourcesforracial

literacy;particularly,howtheymaneuverthebookclubdiscoursetoresolvewhatconstitutesanti-racistactioninthebook.Inthis

article,wedemonstratethecomplexwaysinwhichthestudentsseektomakemeaningaroundthisissueandindoingso,drawonand

developasetofsemiotictoolswerefertoasracialliteracy.Wetracethemultiplemodes(visualandlinguistic)usedbyindividuals

andtheshiftsinthesemodesoverthecourseoftheconversation.Suchshifts,weargue,holdthepotentialforthedevelopmentofa

moreintricateformofracialliteracy.

©2008ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.

Keywords:Criticaldiscourseanalysis;Racialliteracy;Bookclubconversations

1.Introduction

WhyisitthatWhitepeoplehaveachoiceofwhetherornottheywanttodealwithordiscussissuesofracism?If

theyfeeltoouncomfortable,theycanlaughitoff.Or,asWinnie’sparentsdidinthestory(Iggie’sHouse),they

canjustignoreitsexistenceandcarryonwithlifeasifnothingiswrong.Whyisitthatpeopleofcolordonot

haveachoiceaboutdealingwiththeissuesofracismastheyencountereffectsofracismonaseeminglydaily

basis?Whydopeopleofcolorcarrytheburdenofexplainingtheircultureandbackground,understandingthe

ignoranceofWhitepeople,anddealingwiththeracistattitudesandactionsdirectedatthemfornootherreason

exceptforthecoloroftheirskin?Theydothework.(Faye’sjournalentry)

Aspartofabookclubinaliteracymethodscourse,Faye,anAfrican-Americanwoman,wrotetheaboveentryinher

journal.Inthisjournalentry,Fayeusestheverbs“dealwith”and“discuss”interchangeablywhenreferringtotheWhite

characters’engagementwithissuesofrace.Faye’schoiceofverbsforeshadowsonemovementintheconversations

aboutraceinherbookclub,thequestionoftheroleoftalkinsocialaction.Shealsoreferstoafamiliarformofwhite

engagementcalled“whitetalk,”(McIntyre,1997)inwhichWhitepeople“ignoreitsexistence”or“laughitoff,”in

which“it”referstoracism.FromFaye’sperspective,peopleofcolorhavetodirectlyengagewiththematerialeffects

Correspondingauthor.Tel.:+13145165797.

E-mailaddresses:rogers3948@http://doc.guandang.net(R.Rogers),mmosley@mail.utexas.edu(M.Mosley).

0898-5898/$–seefrontmatter©2008ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.

doi:10.1016/j.linged.2008.02.002

critical discourse analysis

108R.Rogers,M.Mosley/LinguisticsandEducation19(2008)107–131

andconsequencesofracism.Ratherthandealingwithracismthroughtalk,peopleofcolorareexpectedto“carrythe

burden”ofexplainingtheirculture,understandingtheignoranceofWhitepeopleanddealingwithracistattitudesand

actions.Faye’stalk,writing,andactions,alongsidethatofherpeersinthecourse,worktogethertoconstructparticular

meanings–whatwerefertoasracialliteracies–aroundrace,racismandanti-racisminthecontextoftheirbookclubs.

AsEuropean-Americanteachereducatorsandresearchers,welearnedaboutthetensionbetweentalkandaction

andhowworkingwiththisdialecticledtoadeeperunderstandingofrace,racismandanti-racism.Earlyinthecourse,

wefoundthatourEuropean-Americanstudentstendedtofocustheirculturalanalysisonpeopleofcoloranddid

notinterrogatewhitenessasaracializedidentity.Therefore,wedesignedabookclubwithchildren’sliteraturethat

includedWhitepeoplegrapplingwithracism,whiteprivilegeandanti-racism.Faye,Jenna,ChelseyandTodd,teacher

educationstudentsinthesecondoftwoofourliteracymethodscourses,weremembersofoneoffourbookclubsthat

readchildren’snovelsrelatingtothetheme,“Struggleforequity:anti-racismfromhistorytopresentday.”Thebooks

presentWhitepeopleasracializedandshiftthegazefrompeopleofcolortoWhitepeopleorasMorrison(1992)writes,

“fromtheracialobjecttotheracialsubject;fromthedescribedandimaginedtothedescribersandtheimaginers;from

theservingtotheserved”(p.90).

Acrossthecontextsofthebookclubdiscussions,thestudents’writtenrecordsandwholeclassdiscussions,we

askedthefollowingresearchquestions:Whatdoesracialliteracylookandsoundlikeinateachereducationbook

club?Howismeaningmadearoundrace,racism,andanti-racismacrosssemioticmodes?Howmightthenetworkof

discoursepracticeshelpusunderstandthepracticeofracialliteracy?

Usingthetoolsofcriticaldiscourseanalysis,wedescribe,interpretandexplainhoweachmemberofthegroup

drawsonarangeofdiscursiveandembodiedresourcesforracialliteracy:particularly,howtheymaneuverthebook

clubdiscoursetoresolvewhatconstitutesanti-racistactioninthebook.Inthisarticle,wedemonstratethecomplex

waysinwhichthestudentsseektomakemeaningaroundthisissueandindoingso,drawonanddevelopasetof

semiotictoolswerefertoasracialliteracy.Wetracethemultiplemodes(visualandlinguistic)usedbyindividuals

andthenetworksofthesemodesoverthecourseoftheconversation.Suchnetworks,weargue,holdthepotentialfor

afullerunderstandingofracialliteracy.

2.Relatedliteratureandtheoreticalframeworks

2.1.Racialliteracy

Racialliteracy,aconceptthatevolvedinaparallelfashioninthe eldsofcriticalracetheoryandwhiteness

studies,hasbeenexplainedashavingbothmicro-andmacro-dimensions.Fromthe eldofcriticalracetheory,Guinier

(2004)posesracialliteracyasaparadigmshiftawayfromracialliberalism,whichisrepresentedbythedecision

ofBrownv.BoardofEducation(1954).Racialliberalismincludestheperspect …… 此处隐藏：64510字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……