Continuity and Change in the Study of Literature

Franklin, Phyllis; Huber, Bettina J.; Laurence, David

doi:10.1080/00091383.1992.9937702

Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning

1992

DOI: 10.1080/00091383.1992.9937702

|View full text |Cite

Continuity and Change in the Study of Literature

Phyllis Franklin¹,

Bettina J. Huber²,

David Laurence³

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

1995

2016

Publication Types

Select...

Article5

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent5

Authors

Journals

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Empirical research on this problem has, for the most part, focused on either the content of course syllabi (Corse, 1996;Franklin, Huber & Laurence, 1992) or ideological positioning in the debate (Gitlin, 1995;Willie, 1992;Yamane, 2001). Although these studies offer important insights into the conflict, they miss what I found to be the most striking feature of English professors' talk on multiculturalisma deep ambivalence about the word's meaning.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Working definitions: educational organization and the meaning of multiculturalism

Bryson

2002

Int J of Soc & Social Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

I draw on interviews with seventy-six English professors in four U.S. universities to document emerging definitions of multiculturalism and connect them to organizational conditions in each department. Findings indicate that English professors assigned meaning to the ambiguous and contested word, multiculturalism, according to principles of organizational convenience rather than political conviction. The four categories of meaning assigned to multiculturalism (canons, value, diversity, and pedagogy) demonstrate clear connections to the occupational interests of English professors. Definitions drawing on single categories of meaning are characterized as "abstract" and are more malleable in public debate. Less abstract meanings, those drawing on multiple categories of meaning, are more "grounded" in pre-existing habits and work routines. In this study, grounded definitions were less volatile than the abstract definitions employed by cultural critics. This finding emphasizes the power of institutional routines for withstanding ideological challenges and illuminates the mechanisms through which that resistance operates. However, I hypothesize that top-down cultural change is possible when meanings are successfully grounded in existing patterns of everyday life while the ideas are still in the public sphere. New or oppositional meanings that are both grounded and widely accepted stand a better chance of surviving inside established social institutions.Education is the primary mechanism through which we, as a nation, attempt to enact positive social change. We look to education as a great equalizer that offers all children an opportunity to become valuable and productive citizens. We use the educational system to correct our past mistakes, to respond to current challenges, and to prepare for the future. It should be noted, therefore, that education is a cultural institution. Its product is the transformation of human minds. In short, Volume 22 Number 1/2/3 2002

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Working definitions: educational organization and the meaning of multiculturalism

Bryson

2002

Int J of Soc & Social Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Report of the Executive Director

Gates¹

1972

Am. j. int. law

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Postmodernism and Higher Education

Bloland

1995

The Journal of Higher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Continuity and Change in the Study of Literature

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Working definitions: educational organization and the meaning of multiculturalism

Working definitions: educational organization and the meaning of multiculturalism

Report of the Executive Director

Postmodernism and Higher Education

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About