Why Not?: Embracing the Historical Design of African American Literature to Bolster Its Representative Use in the Classroom

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

Y

11

Teachers

African American Literature; African Americans; Guidelines; Teaching Methods; History; Race; Life Style; African American Culture; Authors; Fiction; Nonfiction; Social Change; English Teachers; United States History; Educational Experience

10.1080/1358684X.2022.2076655

1358-684X
1469-3585

Having grown up Black in America, the author reflects on his limited exposure to African American literature in school as well as his even more limited opportunity to see himself reflected in the mirrors of those texts. The article then extends into a framework for expanding the inclusion of African American texts in educators' classrooms. Approaching the literature from a historical design perspective (concerning the purposes that gave the literature life and direction throughout its existence), the article divides African American literature into two groups -- the texts that centre race and race matter and those that centre lives and lifestyles -- in an effort to challenge educators' understanding of both the literature and the people represented within it. The article acknowledges that, while perhaps different in design, both groups of texts speak to the humanity of African American students as the students exist both within and beyond the context of race.

As Provided

2023

EJ1361356