Rewriting Literacy: Culture and the Discourse of the Other (Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series)

What Is Literacy? / James Paul Gee -- Discourses Of Power, The Dialectics Of Understanding, The Power Of Literacy / Adrian T. Bennett -- The Struggle For Voice : Narrative, Literacy, And Consciousness In An East Harlem School / Michéle Solá And Adrian T. Bennett -- Gimme Room : School Resistance, Attitude, And Access To Literacy / Perry Gilmore -- The Narrativization Of Experience In The Oral Style / James Paul Gee -- Hearing The Connections In Children's Oral And Written Discourse / Sarah Michaels -- Discourse Systems And Aspirin Bottles : On Literacy / James Paul Gee -- The Importance Of The Act Of Reading / Paulo Freire -- The Politics Of An Emancipatory Literacy In Cape Verde / Donaldo Macedo -- Tropics Of Literacy / Linda Brodkey. The Construction Of School Knowledge : A Case Study / Jan Nespor -- Benjamin's Story / Jonathan Kozol -- Petra : Learning To Read At 45 / Pat Rigg -- How Illiteracy Became A Problem (and Literacy Stopped Being One) / James Donald -- Hegemonic Practice : Literacy And Standard Language In Public Education / James Collins -- Popular Literacy And The Roots Of The New Writing / John Willinksky. Edited By Candace Mitchell And Kathleen Weiler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Sixteen chapters discuss the relationship among literacy, culture, and difference in education; restructuring school curricula to meet the needs of those traditionally excluded from education's dominant discourse; the social and cultural context of literacy; and literacy's highly political nature. After "Series Introduction: Literacy, Difference, and the Politics of Border Crossing" and "Preface" (C. Mitchell), the following chapters are provided: (1) "What Is Literacy?" (J. P. Gee); (2) "Discourses of Power, the Dialectics of Understanding, the Power of Literacy" (A. T. Bennett); (3) "The Struggle for Voice: Narrative, Literacy, and Consciousness in an East Harlem School" (M. Sola and A. T. Bennett); (4) "Gimme Room: School Resistance, Attitude, and Access to Literacy" (P. Gilmore); (5) "The Narrativization of Experience in the Oral Style" (J. P. Gee); (6) "Hearing the Connections in Children's Oral and Written Discourse" (S. Michaels); (7) "Discourse Systems and Aspirin Bottles: On Literacy" (J. P. Gee); (8) "The Importance of the Act of Reading" (P. Freire, translated by L. Slover); (9) "The Politics of an Emancipatory Literacy in Cape Verde" (D. Macedo); (10) "Tropics of Literacy" (L. Brodkey); (11) "The Construction of School Knowledge: A Case Study" (J. Nespor); (12) "Benjamin's Story" (J. Kozol); (13) "Petra: Learning To Read at 45" (P. Rigg); (14) "How Illiteracy Became a Problem (and Literacy Stopped Being One" (J. Donald); (15) "Hegemonic Practice: Literacy and Standard Language in Public Education" (J. Collins); and (16) "Popular Literacy and the Roots of the New Writing" (J. Willinsky). (SLD)

Rewriting Literacy makes a profound contribution to the developing field of literacy studies as it is the first book which seeks to link such disciplines as linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropology, education, English as a second language, and reading and writing theory.

The chapters in this edited collection, by some of the foremost scholars of the day, all focus on the nature of literacy. Each article brings to light important concerns regarding literacy, concerns which are often ignored by the more traditionally oriented educationalist. The authors illustrate how literacy is embedded in a social and cultural context bringing into question the very nature of what it means to be literate. Each piece highlights, either implicitly or explicitly, the highly political nature of literacy and in doing so approaches the study of literacy from a critical and pedagogical perspective. The body of work presented in this volume is relevant not only to individuals whose main focus is on the area of literacy studies, but to all those concerned about minority disenfranchisement, institutional inequity, and the political, cultural, and social dimensions of education.

Links fields such as linguistics, anthropology, sociolinguistics and education to illustrate how the problem of literacy is embedded in a social and cultural context. Most of the essays are based on primary research and highlight important concerns about the political nature of literacy.