Language, Literacy, and Power

Prior to reading these articles on digital and pop culture literacies (Haddix & Sealey-Ruiz, 2012), case studies of young immigrant children and their intersectional identity negotiation (Compton-Lilly et al., 2017), and new media narratives as connective identity texts (Wargo, 2017), I don't know that I really viewed student use of new literacies as a form of activism on the parts of the students and/or the teachers. However, when looking at the potential and power associated with the ability to pen or write one's own story - these new literacies have the potential to shift or refocus the power away from the teacher - as in a more traditional and teacher-lead space - to the student. This repositioning or shifting of power opens up many doors for those who are typically marginalized - African Americans, Blacks, Latinxs, LGBTQ youth, immigrants, etc. I like the term "emancipatory pedagogies" used by Haddix and Sealey-Ruiz (2012) which aptly describes new literaci...

Identities and Writing or Written Expression My understanding of identity theory is very unclear, and as I provide this reflection I am pondering and questioning what it actually is. So I begin with a definition. Whenever I am unclear about what something means, I look it up. I begin with habitus . Habitus as presented by Bordieu (1990) is believed to be an evolving set of schema that develop through relationships as people adjust, adapt, and negotiate within and across multiple contexts (Compton-Lilly, 2014; Roswell & Pahl, 2007). Social Theory Re-Wired  (http://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/habitus) states that " habitus is one of Bordieu's most influential yet ambiguous concepts [and] refers to the physical embodiment of cultural capital, to the deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess due to our life experiences." Much like Marxist theory, habitus is very socially heirarchical. People can adapt their habitus to accommodate ...

When thinking of New Literacies Studies (Street, 2003), I am inclined to think of it as a critical social practice which asks the questions of : Whose literacies are dominant? Whose literacies are marginalized? and Whose literacies are resistant? Literacy then is not a technical or neutral skill as the autonomous model of literacy would suggest. Rather, literacy is closer akin to the ideological model of literacy which posits that it is a social practice that is always embedded in socially constructed epistemological principles (Street, 2003, p. 77). Within NLS there are literacy events and literacy practice that work upon a continuum of sorts, with a shift from observing literacy events to conceptualizing literacy practices (Street, 2003, p. 79). Street (2003, 1998), describes the shift as involving both "events" (Heath, 1982) and social models of literacy that participants bring to bear upon those events and that give meaning to them. Wohlwend (2009) provides us with th...

Figured Worlds Guiding Questions: What figured world is constructed? What artifacts pivot the activity?What identities are performed? What agency and power is exerted or resisted in this data sample? What sociocultural norms are performed or resisted (cultural, linguistic, racial, gendered, religious, class….) In what ways are these figured worlds familiar or new to you? Following this week's reading, I believe that I have a better understanding of Holland et al. (1998) definition of figured worlds. All of this week's reading - Barron, 2013; Gelfuso & Dennis, 2017; and Blackburn, 2002-2003) reference the definition of a complex and multi-layered concept of identity, and Barron (2013) and Blackburn (2002-2003) reference the 4 key concepts or contexts of identity: "figured world, positionality, space of authoring, and making worlds" (Barron, 2013, p. 5; Blackburn, 2002-2003, pp. 313-314).  I suppose that this week's articles figured worlds are somewhat fa...