Abstract
Language pedagogies that attend to the teaching of language and power are collectively captured through the term critical literacy. Although the field is diverse, the word “critical” signals a stance toward deconstructing oppression and advocating for emancipation, as well as an understanding of power as discursive and material. This chapter traces developments in linguistics that attend to issues of knowledge, power, and identities within literacy education. Building on work of sociolinguists, critical linguists turned to systemic functional linguistics and critical language awareness, both of which posit that one’s communicative choices and “appropriate” use are dependent on social contexts and issues of power. This understanding gave rise to genre studies, New Literacy Studies, critical applied linguistics, critical discourse analysis, and multiliteracies, all of which undergird critical literacy in its varied approaches. The chapter outlines the recognized global “hotspots” where critical literacy education has developed and the influential scholars who have contributed to the field. After a discussion of the systems of distribution that have impacted critical literacy practices, the chapter reviews current scholarship that spans locations, disciplines, contexts, and educational levels. Finally, in a discussion of future directions in the teaching of language and power, the chapter addresses issues of equity and access and the strong local and global networks that are required to sustain teachers’ work. The chapter also contends with the various tensions that arise as the field continues to shift and change.
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Janks, H., Rogers, R., O’Daniels, K. (2017). Language and Power in the Classroom. In: McCarty, T., May, S. (eds) Language Policy and Political Issues in Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02344-1_15
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