Overview
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.
Full Product Details
Author: Candace Mitchell ,
Kathleen Weiler
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint: Praeger Publishers Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 1.90cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.615kg
ISBN: 9780897892254
ISBN 10: 0897892259
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 30 December 1991
Recommended Age: From 7 to 17 years
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Mitchell (University of New Hampshire) and Weiler (Tufts University) have made an important contribution to the study of literacy, which is viewed as more than decoding and encoding of language. Questions asked by the authors are what is to be read, what form will writing take, and what language or dialect will be used in the process. The contributors, from various fields, invite into the discourse the voices of marginalized excluded individuals including females, the poor, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others to help reshape and expand the definition of literacy. Reporting on their own research, many of the authors show how non-mainstream individuals make sense through their discourse although it is a mismatch with the discourse structure of schools. They show ways in which learning to read and write are not neutral activities divorced from social, cultural, historical, and political contexts but are permeated with power, control, and value factors generated by the dominant group. The chapter authors present valuable bibliographic references. This extremely interesting book is strongly recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections. -Choice Readers of Language in Society who are concerned with discussion of literacy issues across fields will find Rewriting literacy a useful starting point. This volume demonstrates how linguistic and sociolinguistic analyses can inform this area of study. The inclusion of a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives also makes visible the limitations of linguistic analyses, and suggests other approaches and issues that need to be examined. For those with extensive background in examining the relationship between literacy and language, this volume will provide a historical collection; it may bring forward authors not usually associated with a linguistic perspective. -Language in Society ?Readers of Language in Society who are concerned with discussion of literacy issues across fields will find Rewriting literacy a useful starting point. This volume demonstrates how linguistic and sociolinguistic analyses can inform this area of study. The inclusion of a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives also makes visible the limitations of linguistic analyses, and suggests other approaches and issues that need to be examined. For those with extensive background in examining the relationship between literacy and language, this volume will provide a historical collection; it may bring forward authors not usually associated with a linguistic perspective.?-Language in Society ?Mitchell (University of New Hampshire) and Weiler (Tufts University) have made an important contribution to the study of literacy, which is viewed as more than decoding and encoding of language. Questions asked by the authors are what is to be read, what form will writing take, and what language or dialect will be used in the process. The contributors, from various fields, invite into the discourse the voices of marginalized excluded individuals including females, the poor, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others to help reshape and expand the definition of literacy. Reporting on their own research, many of the authors show how non-mainstream individuals make sense through their discourse although it is a mismatch with the discourse structure of schools. They show ways in which learning to read and write are not neutral activities divorced from social, cultural, historical, and political contexts but are permeated with power, control, and value factors generated by the dominant group. The chapter authors present valuable bibliographic references. This extremely interesting book is strongly recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections.?-Choice
?Mitchell (University of New Hampshire) and Weiler (Tufts University) have made an important contribution to the study of literacy, which is viewed as more than decoding and encoding of language. Questions asked by the authors are what is to be read, what form will writing take, and what language or dialect will be used in the process. The contributors, from various fields, invite into the discourse the voices of marginalized excluded individuals including females, the poor, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others to help reshape and expand the definition of literacy. Reporting on their own research, many of the authors show how non-mainstream individuals make sense through their discourse although it is a mismatch with the discourse structure of schools. They show ways in which learning to read and write are not neutral activities divorced from social, cultural, historical, and political contexts but are permeated with power, control, and value factors generated by the dominant group. The chapter authors present valuable bibliographic references. This extremely interesting book is strongly recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections.?-Choice
Author Information
CANDACE MITCHELL is Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Hampshire. She has published and edited numerous articles on the subject of literacy. KATHLEEN WEILER is Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Tufts University. She is the author of Women Teaching for Change (Bergin & Garvey, 1987).
