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The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on
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Backlash Pedagogy and the Politics of Literacy Reform Abstract In this paper I reflect on recent work with a number of colleagues
in the USA (see Gutierrez, Asato, Santos, & Gotanda, in press),
where we have focused on an educational trend we label "backlash
pedagogy", that accepts substantial inequality as the baseline
for reform and seeks to enshrine the status quo. Several theoretical
lenses are deployed to show how political, social, economic and
educational processes coalesce into a pedagogy of backlash. In
particular we draw on cultural-historical activity theory and
critical race theory as part of a theoretical toolkit for understanding
the culturally mediated nature of human interaction, and for
interpreting diversity and difference as resources for learning
rather than deficits. Our analysis makes visible the ways that
the social constructs of race and ethnicity and its proxies,
language and ability, and the social practices of racism, discrimination,
and privileging mediate the schooling outcomes of poor immigrant
students who are also English Language Learners. Finally we identify
specific pedagogical practices that create the conditions for
effective learning within linguistically diverse populations. Areas of Interest Current research interests include a study of the sociocultural contexts of literacy development, particularly the study of the acquisition of academic literacy for language minority students. Her research also focuses on understanding the relationship between language, culture, development, and pedagogies of empowerment.
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