Post Multiculturalism in Teaching Writing

Blog #1

Barlow, Daniel. (2016) Composing Post-Multiculturalism. College Composition and Communication, 67(3). Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/cccc/ccc/issues/v67-3 .


Barlow opens his essay with a review of recent literature looking at race in the pedagogy of rhetoric and composition, saying that it "emerges . . . quite frequently as a discursive problem." He then deconstructs the concept of multiculturalism, using the arguments of Prendergast and Jay and Jones that what has been taught historically is a "celebratory, rather than critical" model of multiculturalism, that is, "the multiculturalist illusion that racism is the United States is an aberration."  Barlow builds on these theories to make his argument for a post-multiculturalist model based on developing "scholarly discourse on race into pedagogical methods that lead to the improvement of student writing," that is, using race is a  "productive opportunity for engaging students" (emphasis in original). "Racial inquiry," he proposes, "can facilitate post-multiculturalist advancements in rhetoric and composition scholarship." He supports this argument with examples from writing by students in his first-year writing courses, in response to questions about race. "The symbolism of inclusion can often distract students from critical thinking about racialism and its legacies," he says, pointing to what he calls "uncritical multiculturalism," a term which he equates with "celebratory multiculturalism (which) perpetuates itself through . . .fantasies of achievement rather than critical engagement with the social problems that dominant cultural norms mask." He asks how students are able to develop a "critical lexicon" for confronting institutional racisms "that continue to perpetuate forms of violence in disadvantaged communities?"  He supports his argument by laying out a strategy of what he calls "strategic discomfiture" using discordant texts, materials that require students to think outside of their proverbial comfort zone and the familiar anti-racism tropes with which they are so familiar and in which they are so practiced. He notes that students typically avoid using the words race in their writing, even when assigned topics that explicitly call for analysis that require recognition of race; instead they fall back on writing about cultural differences, a more comfortable and familiar terrain. By giving concrete examples of how he responded to his students' comments, he demonstrates the difference in an approach that focuses on looking explicitly at students' ideas and conceptions about race with the goal of using the tools of rhetoric and composition to explore and develop them further, from an approach which looks only at the mechanics and opinions from the perspective of correcting and/or challenging a student's incorrect or "inappropriate" views.

I found this to be a very thought-provoking and indispensable article for any instructor of composition and rhetoric, particularly given the political climate of increased racial tension both on and off campuses. It is more than ever important to understand how race and the racialism of education and all other aspects of society affects us, and the university is in a particularly strategic position to contribute to that understanding. Composition is about much more than just mechanics when well taught. It is about critical thinking, analysis, and organization of thought. Communication is at the core of how humans relate to each other in society, and when we are teaching students the art and science of how to communicate through composition and rhetoric it is critical to teach how much of an impact racialism and racism has had on how we communicate and how we perceive how others communicate. However difficult it may be for both us as educators, and our students to accept, the reality is that, as Barlow notes in his article, "language often features the compelling rhythm of political aspiration and homeland pride, while also offering straightforward expressions of identity and social positioning." These can be read, as Barlow suggests, quoting Pendergrast, as "linguistic strategies put forth by many of our students . . . as evidence of successful socialization into a colonial sensibility." Does this characterization cause discomfort? Then it is probably exactly the place to begin.