Postcolonial Literature in Contemporary Secondary English Language Arts Classes

Ingrid Johnston's article is an argument regarding the use of Postcolonial Literature in Contemporary ELA classrooms. Her post heading reads, "From Multicultural to Postcolonial." Johnston explains, that "A number of [postcolonial] texts are being taught in Canadian junior and senior secondary school classrooms and are helping to promote diverse cultural perspectives among student readers."

Johnston goes beyond simply suggesting that these books be used in the classroom, she makes an important point about the way an educator makes use of such texts. She explains, "There may be the danger of teachers introducing such books as a form of "culture tour" for their students from European backgrounds, encouraging them to see how others live in the world, while maintaining a superior viewpoint that sees non-Western ways of life as inferior."

This is a really important point! It is not enough to simply incorporate these texts into the classroom, but to do so in a way that causes students to value world views that differ from their own. It's important for students to understand that cultural differences should be celebrated and valued, not just tolerated.

it's also important for there to be no 'hidden curriculum' lurking behind an educators actions and text choices. It is amazing how students take note of attitudes that a teacher brings to a text.

Johnston makes mention of several postcolonial works that she believes would be beneficial for an ELA class to study such as the novel 47 "by the African-American writer Walter Mosley." The story is set in 1832 on a slave plantation in the States. It is told by a 14 year old slave named "47" in Georgia. Johnston notes that this story would be especially effective in a high school classroom because it is written from the perspective of an adolescent. It is certainly important for students to empathize with those who have suffered at the hand of colonizers, in order to understand why certain people groups are in the situations they are in. Although there has been improvements and progression, there is still far too much racism in North American society. Johnston's plea is for North American ELA educators to advocate for the oppressed and bring truth and justice into a society that has been defined by hegemonic practices determined by the dominant.