Multicultural literature for children and young adults : reflections on critical issues / Mingshui Cai.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cai, Mingshui.

Series:

Contributions to the study of world literature ; no. 116.

Contributions to the study of world literature ; no. 116

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children's literature--History and criticism.

Children's literature.

Young adult literature--History and criticism.

Young adult literature.

Cultural pluralism in literature.

Multiculturalism.

Physical Description:

xx, 200 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2002.

Summary:

Discusses theoretical, critical, and pedagogical issues related to the definition of multicultural children's literature and its place in the curriculum.

Contents:

Part I Issues Related to the Concept of Multicultural Literature 1

1. Defining Multicultural Literature 3

Literary and Pedagogical Definitions 3

The Focal Point of the Controversy 5

Three Views on the Definition of Multicultural Literature 6

Implications for Teachers and Teacher Educators 13

2. Classifying Multicultural Literature 19

Classification by Content and Intended Audience 20

Classification by Cultural Specificity 22

Classification by Geographical and Cultural Boundaries 25

Part II Issues Related to the Creation and Critique of Multicultural Literature 35

3. Imagination, Ethnicity, and Cultural Authenticity 37

The Crux of the Issue 38

Cultural Boundaries 39

Ethnic Perspective 41

Brute Facts 42

A Comparative Study of Two Novels 46

Concluding Thoughts 48

4. Reader Response Theory and the Author's Role in Multicultural Literature 53

The Role of the Author in Reader Response Theory 54

The Real Author and the Implied Author 58

The Author's Cultural Identity in Multicultural Literature 62

5. Stereotyping and the Politics of Representation 67

Definition of Stereotype 68

The Social-Political Nature of Stereotype 69

The Detrimental Effects of Stereotypes 70

The Cultural War over Image Making 72

Stereotypes as Partial Truth 74

Viewing Images in the Big Picture 75

Stereotypes and Historical Realism 78

Concluding Thoughts 81

6. Cultural Correctness and the Evaluation of Multicultural Literature 87

Culturally Correct 88

Politically Correct 92

Emotionally Correct 94

Analyzing Content Analysis as a Means of Evaluation 96

"Overburdening" Criticism 99

Embedding Cultural Criticism in Close Literary Analysis 104

Cultural Correctness and Reader Response Theory 107

Concluding Thoughts 109

Part III Issues Related to the Use of Multicultural Literature in Education 115

7. Crossing Cultural Borders 117

Defining Cultural Borders 117

Examining One Assumption 118

Critiquing One Approach 120

Reading Myths, Archetypes, and Universal Themes 123

Combating Color Bias 127

Against Borders 129

8. From Informing to Empowering 133

Informing and Empowering 134

Starting to Empower Children from the Primary Grades 137

From Informing to Empowering in Thematic Units 139

Critique of one Approach to the Study of Multicultural Literature 143

Reading Multiculturally as a Means of Empowering 145

Opportunities for Teachers to Inform and Empower Themselves 148

9. Investigating Reader Responses to Multicultural Literature 153

A Multidimensional Model 154

Cognitive-Developmental Dimension 155

Affective-Attitudinal Dimension 159

Social-Communal Dimension 167

Concluding Thoughts 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-194) and index.

ISBN:

0313312443

OCLC:

48857619