Structural Challenges
From the
readings, I can define raciolinguistics as an approach which studies language
and it ability to build identity.
Raciolinguistics is also how race impacts
language and language in use. Alim, Rickford, and Ball (2016) gives us insight “to how speakers “do”
race and ethnicity in interaction.” (pg. 5) This book creates a link to constructivist
theories of race and the powers of racism on those who experience race every
day. When examining themes throughout reading part 3, I focused on identity,
culture, and structural challenges.
I had eye
opening experience in a time when I am feeling tired and unsure of my future
research. It was a moment when the reading connected to a personal experience-specifically
to identity and culture. Yesterday, I presented to the freshman, in all majors,
at Stephens College surrounding my past research inside the classroom using
multicultural literature with our youngest students. I shared statistics of multicultural
literature and what conversations have risen in my multiage classroom. Their
assignment is to explore children’s literature and critique the book to share
with small groups. I noticed MANY of the students on their phones and not
paying attention, but I also noticed many head nodding and emotions.
After
the presentation three African American students came to the front of the hall
to ask questions. We had a full twenty-minute conversation and at the end they
began to open up about the presentation. They commented on the book, “Last Stop
on Market Street,” and questioned how someone will find the book authentic when
that isn’t part of their culture to speak like CJ and Nana? They were passionate
and excited to see their culture of language represented in the book. These are
non-education majors (fashion in fact) and were passionate about multicultural children’s
literature. They discussed further how important topics of culture and race are
among students and how they identify with their race every day. What shook me though
was their comment about how glad they were that a white person was up talking
about hard topics because if they were speaking the other women would think
they were ‘angry black girls”. I left enlighten from our previous conversation,
but then angry these students felt this way and not sure how to process their
thinking.
Recent
studies have made progress in schools to support all students, but there seems
to be more critiques rather than finding ways to incorporate identities and
cultures outside the structural systems. Chapter 15 “On Being Called Out of One’s
Name: Indexical Bleaching as a Technique of Deracialization by Mary Bucholz,
formed the absurdity of renaming people against their will. The voices of our
students aren’t being heard and I feel identity is corrupted, but how is
raciolinguistics moving forward? It has created talk around how race impacts language and
language in use, but what is next? How is voice heard among structural
challenges without that voice being taught that someone else needs to speak for
them?
Beth,
ReplyDeleteChapter 15 sounds like an interesting discussion which I need to find time to read. Could you give an example of what "renaming people" entails? My immediate thought of "renaming people," and it's probably not what Bucholz had in mind, is how American society tries to make people more ethnically white by having them adopt "American" names. Recently, one of my undergraduates shared a children's book called "The Name Jar" in class and summarized the book, which I haven't read as, a new girl comes to America from Korea and her name is too hard to pronounce. So, the students create a "name jar" where everyone adds suggestions of more American names the girl could choose. It was interesting to see the reactions of the other undergraduates. Some thought it was sweet and thoughtful, while others, like myself, were upset at the thought of children reading a book about how students should adapt for the ease of Americans. After I probed the student, who shared the book, we realize that at the end of the book the main character decides her Korean name is beautiful and she keeps it and teaches her classmates how to say it. While it ends with a positive message, it still bothers me that the book would even represent such a thing. I tried to see if it was based on the author's experience, but I don't think it is.
~Sarah
Your interpretation is right on and that picture book bothered me as well! When we would have students from Korea they would always pick "American" names like Bob and Dave. I have strong feelings about how people need to hide their identity to fit in to the white culture.
DeleteBeth-
ReplyDeleteI found reading your personal experience to be extremely relevant given a research project I've been working on this semester. A group of elementary education teachers have been reading The Hate You Give and discussing the book in small groups in class. In this predominantly white space sits one self-identified Black female. As part of my project, I collected field notes and interviewed this student and multiple white students. In her sentiments, the one Black female student consistently identified her own silence around the text in larger group discussions in an effort to resist the racialization of her language as the 'angry Black girl'. As I talked with her, we began to unpack together some of the reasons she felt she would be perceived this way among her white peers. Many of them were tied to her feelings of social isolation in the space. Given her unchanging current reality of being a POC in a PWI, I asked what she thought would need to change in order for her to feel comfortable providing her perspective. "If I knew people had my back not just in private but also in public" was her response. Language, race, identity, socialization...interesting thoughts for our discussion tonight.
Beth,
ReplyDeleteIn reading your post, I am again reminded how lucky your students are to have your knowledge and allyship. Your discussion of the trope of the "angry Black woman" was eye-opening for me, a moment when I realized how ripe daily life is for the raciolinguistic picking. Many of my Black female colleagues and friends have both raced and reraced themselves prefacing talks with this phrase. It really brought home this theme from our text--how we use language to translate ourselves.
When you talk about being renamed against the person's will, you are so spot on. Our book validated that aspect of racing and reracing for me. Monica's response about her interview subject--so real. These are feelings and ideas I as a POC have been having for a long time. It is freeing to have language to discuss it with colleagues and to grab hold of a firmer understanding of language, race, and identity.