Description: While many professionals argue about the validity and acceptability of the non-dominant dialects/discourse systems of minority groups, schools and colleges continue to discriminate against and penalize students who use non-dominant dialects and discourse. This study describes and analyzes non-dominant dialects/discourse systems associated with certain cultural groups in the U.S. and examines their school experiences. Building from the theoretical foundations of critical, liberatory literacy and whole language approaches to teaching, the book suggests classroom approaches designed to help teach people from various cultures to improve their own literacy levels without losing their individual/cultural identities.
Review Quotes: «Patrick Courts' book, 'Multicultural Literacies' is the most comprehensive analysis of the interconnection between multiculturalism, language and critical pedagogy. Courts' insightful analysis makes it clear that we cannot celebrate different cultural values through the very dominant language that devalues, in many ways, the cultural experience of different cultural groups. His book reminds multiculturalists that they need to understand that language is the only means through which one comes to consciousness. 'Multicultural Literacies' is a must read for all those teachers who work in an ever-increasing, multilingual and multicultural context.» (Donaldo Macedo, University of Massachusetts, Boston)
«In 'Multicultural Literacies', Pat Courts deals powerfully and candidly with a question that worries both educators and the general public, 'What do we do for people who don't talk and write the way 'we' do?' Courts carefully explores the concept of discourse communities and shows how a constructivist approach that expands language use can honor the voices of such minorities as African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans while offering them opportunities to grow as language users. In exploring discourse and diversity, he clearly understands the concerns of educational conservatives and cultural imperialists, yet he unflinchingly shows how such approaches as standards setting, testing, and cultural mongering fail, not only to achieve their stated goals, but also by setting goals that are inappropriate to a democratic, pluralistic society. This book is accessible to educators and citizens with a wide range of interests, and it skillfully teaches about language even as it shows the readers how to use knowledge of language to expand the dimensions of literacy education.» (Stephen Tchudi, University of Nevada)