Research in the Teaching of English Nov 2024

The Diasporic Tellings of Black African Refugee-Background Youth through the Lens of Critical Ubuntu Literacy

Crystal Chen Lee North Carolina State University ; Jennifer C. Mann Duke University

Abstract

This paper explores the diasporic tellings of Black African refugee-background youth through a critical Ubuntu literacy framework. The five tenets of a critical Ubuntu literacy state that participants are (a) already participating in community; (b) reflecting on oneself in relation with others; (c) seeing themselves in relation to community; (d) engaging with text in relation to others; and (e) undertaking a communal process and impact. In this one-year qualitative case study, we examined multiple sources of data from and about twelve Black African refugee-background students, ages 14 to 23, from seven different countries. In examining these data, we came to see how Black African youth from refugee backgrounds wrote about their diasporic histories and lived realities that illuminated the five tenets of a critical Ubuntu literacy framework. Through a thematic analysis, we found that renegotiation of individuality and collective identity was fostered through (a) collective resistance to challenge assumptions; (b) individuality within a collective community; and (c) collective identity that transcended borders. This study has insights for how a critical Ubuntu literacy framework can be used with students in community-based spaces. In addition, it has theoretical and methodological implications for how honoring students’ epistemological frameworks can reframe traditional literacy frameworks and research.

Journal
Research in the Teaching of English
Published
2024-11-01
DOI
10.58680/rte2024592213
Open Access
Closed
Topics
qualitative research multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (1)

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