It's No Joke: Emerging Bilinguals Mobilizing Cultural Capital Through Humor and Verbal Play

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Classroom Practices for Social and Environmental Change

Abstract

What remains understudied about discursive tools used by emerging bilinguals (EBs) is how they exhibit their cultural capitals (Yosso, 2005) via humorous discourse. The heart of this article challenges the notion that only the "serious" exchanges in the classroom can reveal the identification and implementation of legitimate knowledge and skills of EBs as they maneuver through the oppressive schooling process. By connecting education research back to stakeholders beyond just the researchers themselves, the refocusing of our efforts move to where they matter most—the students. In order to problem solve the struggles that EBs endure, solution-seeking research grounded in sociocultural understandings can help students, teachers, administrators, and policymakers tailor more culturally sustaining curriculum as well as foster stronger relationships.

Author

• Mitch Ingram, The University of Texas at Austin