Discomforting Memories: An Autoethnography of Language and Literacy Professional’s Interrogation of the Culture of Silence

• In Event: Roundtable Session V
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Cultural Explorations of Literacy

Abstract

I examine the intersectionality of language and gender in shaping my cultural and linguistic identity as a literacy professional who wrestled with “culture of silence." Using autoethnography, I recount and analyze my stories in a society where women’s voices are often suppressed, leading to disempowerment and exclusion from critical discourse. I use Black feminist thought (BFT) to challenge societal structures that perpetuate silencing, knowing that communication is crucial in literacy development.

Author

• Adeline Mansa Borti, Grand Valley State University