Professor John Duffy

Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Notre Dame, USA

Primitives and Pencils: The Social Construct of "Preliteracy"

Abstract

The concept of "preliteracy" has long held a singular fascination for Western academics, many of whom have looked to the presence or absence of literacy within cultures to explain a wide range of human behaviors, including variations in cognitive development (Goody and Watt, 1968), communicative patterns (Ong, 1973), and learning styles (Walker-Moffat, 1995). Interest in "preliteracy" has been particularly pronounced in education, where it has functioned as a rationale for innovations in pedagogy and curriculum development (Hvitfeldt, 1992).

This paper argues that "preliteracy" is less an empirical category than it is a social construct applied to non-Western and non-industrial cultures whose educational opportunities have been historically suppressed. The paper argues that the identity of "preliterate" devalues the peoples to whom it is applied by 1) situating them within a nineteenth century narrative of "primitiveness," 2) offering a deficit model of literacy education that restricts the range of social and economic possibilities available to learners beyond the classroom.

To illustrate, the paper details the literacy history of the Hmong of Laos, a refugee people in the United States commonly described as "preliterate." Using oral testimonies collected from Hmong refugees, the paper demonstrates how Hmong "preliteracy" can be understood as a consequence of Hmong relationships with more powerful peoples, including Chinese, French, and Laotian governments, and the United States CIA during the Vietnam War, that resulted in the suppression of literacy.

References

Goody, J. & Watt, I. (1968). The consequences of literacy. In J. Goody (Ed.), Literacy in traditional societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hvitfeldt, C. (1992). Oral orientations in ESL academic writing. College ESL, 2 (1), 28-39.

Ong, W. (1978). Literacy and orality in our times. ADE Bulletin 58: 1-7.

Walker-Moffat, W. (1995). The other side of the Asian American success story. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bionote

John M. Duffy is an assistant professor of English at the University of Notre dame. His research focuses on the role of literacy and rhetoric in shaping historical meanings across cultures. Recent publication's include "Never Hold a Pencil: Rhetoric and Relations in the Concept of 'Preliteracy' " in Written Communication; "Literacy and L. Armee Clandestine: The Writings of the Hmong Military Scribes" in The Hmong Studies Journal, and Towards a Rhetoric of Everyday Life, with Martin Nystrand, an edited volume of essays (forthcoming, University of Wisconsin Press).

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

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Country
USA