I'll get to the photos in a second, but today, I'm still talking about Postcolonialism (mostly because I feel I have to, and one post can never be enough to even start to explore this critical theory). Two of the major ideas from Postcolonialism are "double consciousness" and "unhomeliness". Both of these notions relate to "being caught between cultures, of belonging to neither rather than to both...psychological limbo" (Tyson, 2006, p. 421). These phrases pole-vaulted off of the page for me, because I'm a little unhomed myself these days; I have a double consciousness. The two photographs above are of the view from each of my homes: the picture on the left is the winter view from my "house" in England, and the picture on the right is the summer view from my "apartment" in Kent, Ohio. I am by no means stating that I have an "unstable sense of self", or that I am a "psychological refugee" (p. 421), but I can definitely relate to how easily this can happen. I am caught between two cultures; I now no longer fully belong to either. When I'm in America I am "other" - not as much as some international students, but nonetheless the language I use, my cultural frame of reference, and my educational paradigms all differ from American students. On the other hand, all is no longer normal for me in England either. I am now that bit "Americanised" in the way I speak, act, and view the world, so I have to continuously track my own cultural identity in order not to become the "psychological refugee" Tyson talks about (p. 421).
But enough about me!! I've been thinking a lot about adult literacy over the past couple of days, and I see a connection between double consciousness and adult basic education. Tyson explains that, "double consciousness and unhomeliness persist in decolonized nations today. Among the tasks formerly colonized peoples face is the rejection of colonialist ideology, which defined them as inferior, and the reclamation of their precolonial past" (p. 422). This quote made me think about adult basic education students as similar to colonized people - let me walk you through my line of thinking here. We are told from almost the moment we're born that we have to learn to read and write in order to achieve in this world, in order to do well at school, and in order to find a job. For adults who, for whatever reason, have not achieved this desired level of literacy, the world is a very different place than for those who take literacy for granted. Adult basic education (ABE) students are "othered" - in a sense, just like colonized people, ABE students are "defined...as inferior" by those in power (or in other words, the colonizers) . However, when ABE students undertake study to make gains in literacy, perhaps to get a better job, encourage their children to persevere at school, or just so they can feel better about themselves, they begin to straddle the lines between the culture of low-literacy adults and the culture of their "oppressors".
I imagine that adults who go back to education in whatever form and raise their literacy levels might end up feeling a little unhomed - they will have developed a double consciousness. It's my belief that these adults would still identify strongly with the community of adults who have low-levels of literacy, but at the same time, by improving their situation, they have begun to align themselves with those in power. I think that this may cause a cultural identity crisis for these learners, just as it does for colonized people.
The two issues here then, are the de-valuing (or othering) of adults who have low levels of literacy, and the cultural identity crisis that may occur when adults begin to raise their literacy levels and alter their life situations. Both of these problems have implications for the design of adult basic education. I see a curriculum issue in whether and how adult learners are prepared for the change in cultural identity that is likely to occur after they finish their studies - is it right to educate them and send them back into the world without helping them come to terms with possible changes in cultural identity? And there are issues around the political and social definitions of adult literacy that feed into the "othering" of adults. I doubt much can be done about this, but adult educators can attempt to include elements of empowerment and liberation into adult education curriculum. This definitely calls for more thought.
Rachel, you have explained postcolonialism well especiallly with the term "double consciousness." That term is also raised in Critical Race Theory (CRT), caught between two worlds and basically being forced into the dominant way of being. As for ABE, I think of Local Literacies. It was interesting to note the opinions of those who went back for further schooling. They felt as though they were "less than" those who had gone straight on to University. Their family and friends saw them as being "more than" for getting extra schooling. In this way I think they were also caught in between the two worlds. They were seen as "others" by both groups. One step in the right direction to rectifying this displacement may be through fostering their writing identities. In Ch. 31 of Tyson, Ball and Ellis explain how acknowledging and encouraging cultural uniqueness through writing can enhance a sense of "self." I think that you, by writing of your position, may be on the way to accepting the unique situation in which you find your"self"!
ReplyDeleteIt's great how you also tied in the pictures, Rachel, to make your point. I wonder if GoogleEarth will make us all more internationalized--I mean we have the power now to look down any street in the world from the privacy of our own homes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating post, Rach! I too loved the photos and how you pulled them into your response to enrich the meaning. I can completely relate to your feelings of being caught between cultures and living with double consciousness. I was born here in Ohio in America and I’m living here for the time being, but my travels abroad have felt me feeling like a refugee within my native culture. I’m not sure if that makes any sense. I guess what I'm getting at is when you live aboard to some degree you absorb the culture you are in, and then when and if you return to the culture you were born into you feel like an alien there. Even though it can be frustrating at times, I enjoy not fitting in.
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