The Social Responsibility of Critical Literacy Researchers in Today's World

• In Event: Transnational Critical Literacies for the Public Good

Abstract

Objectives
This substantive first paper asks “What is the social responsibility of critical literacy researchers in today’s world?” Drawing on our own work to date and the expertise and interests of a growing critical literacies network, its two objectives are to outline the state of the critical literacies field from a transnational perspective, and to then push that field further by asking key questions about social responsibility.
Theoretical Framework and Research Areas
To outline the state of the critical literacies field, authors first consider the conditions that necessitate and are necessary for critical literacies scholars, community educators, and activists to begin to set and address those conditions (cf. Vasquez, Janks & Comber, 2019). Literacies themselves are increasingly transnational, with people experiencing symbolic and material discourse effects shaped by movements enabled by new literacies (DeCosta, 2014; Lam & Warriner, 2012), the physical traversing of boundaries (de los Rios, 2018), or new or increased contact with dissimilar histories, cultural practices, or knowledges (Darvin & Norton, 2014a; Hull, Stornaiuolo, & Sahni, 2010). Transnational issues in relation to literacy are central to the resurgence of authoritarian and fascist forces - from media manipulation to the algorithms (Eubanks, 2018; O’Neil, 2016; Noble, 2018) underlying the digital platforms increasingly central to daily interaction (Gillespie, 2018; Srnicek, 2017; Taylor, 2014) - and thus critical approaches have never been more important.
This paper is a call to action in many ways; authors seek to strengthen their own and their colleagues’ critical literacies praxis, and to engender and facilitate international collaborations to present a more unified voice and engage in more coordinated actions with organizational stakeholders. Authors outline foundational contributions of critical literacy work around the world (cf. Muspratt, Luke & Freebody, 1997; Vasquez, 2005). We then survey the many places in the world where critical literacies project are being undertaken (cf. Trigos-Carillo & Rogers, 2017), and finally draw on emerging critical literacies work. Finally, we introduce and review new critical literacies areas of interest, including STEAM curriculum, the arts, environmental activism and place-based pedagogies, translanguaging, affect, and decolonizing literacies.
Significance
The aim of this paper is to synthesise the field of critical literacies research around the globe. This is an area of significant interest for academics and educators around the world, and critical literacy is being taught and researched in many countries. Authors surmise that the current surge of interest in critical literacies is related in no small part to the rise of and need to respond to ethno-nationalist movements around the globe and the impingement of neoliberal reforms on education systems. In order for our work to be relevant, and indeed to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the public good, we need to work with our local institutions and organizations on the one hand, and also continue to network and share ideas on a global scale.

Authors

• Jessica Zacher Pandya, California State University, Dominguez Hills

• Noah Asher Golden, California State University - Long Beach