Introduction

Henry L.A.; Stahl N.A. · A Field Guide to Community Literacy: Case Studies and Tools for Praxis, Evaluation, and Research (2022) · DOI: 10.4324/9781003228042-1

Resumen

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book sets the stage for designing, implementing, and funding community-based literacy programs. It explores the very construct of community as well as the role of and relationship to community as it interacts with our current notion of literacy. The book argues that adult literacy education is marked by conscious community building shaped by the literacy practices and needs of learners. It considers the ways that both “community” and “the academy” are frequently oversimplified and essentialized in discussions of community literacies; examines their experiences creating and supporting an arts fellowship for refugee and immigrant youth in partnership with a non-profit center, a local literacy center, and a large private university; and explores the ways that both fixed definitions can be troubled to create and portray fluid and shared experiences.