Composition: History & Theory: 1990 - 1999
Vandenberg, Peter. “Taming Multiculturalism: The Will to Literacy in Composition Studies.” (1999)
Description
In Peter Vandenberg’s “Taming Multiculturalism: The Will to Literacy in Composition Studies,” originally published in JAC, his main goal is to explore composition textbooks and discourse to prove that the idea of multiculturalism is often not achieving the desired goal and instead often promotes the traditional ideas that agree with the current dominant culture. Vandenberg pushes the notion that as writing teachers “we are also teaching a commitment to a social system that frames social issues,” and that how we color this system can infringe on a student’s knowledge of self (536). To argue his point, Vandenberg employs Berlin, Connors, and others to give a brief history of composition as well as its shortcomings in terms of cultural literacy. He also examines textbooks because the rhetoric used often suggests that multiculturalism is a “trend composed of ‘conflicts’ and ‘issues’ that must be managed in order to ‘function effectively’” (546). Vandenberg continues by examining writing assignments that erase cultural heritage by using formulaic rhetorical modes. To conclude, Vandenberg offers a call to action, posing that academics should continue to explore the idea of multiculturalism, not only in their own writing but also how it “serves in indexing writing faculty” (538). Further, he suggests that as teachers we should make students aware of multiculturalism and its requirement to reexamine culture through the lens of the dominant discourse and to question any conclusions that may be drawn.
Date of Upload
11/3/09