Fictive Kinship in Focus: A Microethnographic Exploration of Peoplehood

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Race and Ethnicity in Research on Literacy (Table 11)

Abstract

This study draws from Bakhtin's and Freire's ontological perspectives on dialogue to explore the languaging practices of Muslim immigrant girls in a community literacy event. It employs microethnographic discourse analysis to explore how these youth negotiate notions of peoplehood as they challenge the harmful stereotypes they encounter at school. Grounded in an intersectional framework, it incorporates Black feminist thought to highlight the intertwined nature of power and oppression. Central to this investigation is the concept of collective personhood, which I explored through the lenses of languaging and literacy practices. This study disrupts deficit-oriented views, emphasizing the resilience and creativity of the participants, and underscores the critical role of language in constructing social realities and relationships.

Author

• Kaha Abdi, The Ohio State University