Disciplinary Literacy and Responsible Reading

Approaching Indigenous Texts

Authors

  • Dr. Ashley Wolstein Concordia University Chicago
  • Dr. Eric Rackley Brigham-Young University Hawaiʻi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29717

Keywords:

disciplinary literacy, Indigenous literature, Indigenous Methodologies

Abstract

While many scholars note the important role disciplinary literacy can play in advancing social justice, much of the current research focuses on how English experts approach canonical texts of Western origin. This article investigates the meaning-making approaches employed by 11 English disciplinarians when approaching texts of Indigenous origin. These scholars participated in semi-structured interviews and participated in a read-aloud. Findings highlight that, in addition to traditional disciplinary practices such as contextualizing, performing definitional work, and drawing upon background knowledge, approaching Indigenous texts requires specific meaning-making practices grounded in Indigenous frameworks and drawing upon specific Indigenous Literary tools. This study hopes to show how disciplinary meaning-making practices, as applied to Indigenous literature, can allow expanded access to these diverse perspectives.

Author Biographies

Dr. Ashley Wolstein, Concordia University Chicago

I, Ashley Wolstein, came to this project as a result of my experiences teaching in Hawai‘i, including a school with decolonial aims. I grew up in a small, Michigan village in a working-class family. My German ancestors settled the lands nurtured by the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Despite growing up on settled land, I knew very little about land reparation until I moved to Hawai‘i and worked for two charter schools dedicated to the revitalization of the Hawaiian language and culture. I believe it is the responsibility of settler colonials to work in solidarity with Indigenous people to “transform structures of invasion” (Goodyear- Kaʻōpua, 2013, p. 30) such as these Euro-American standards and support Hawaiian land reparation and land reparation for Indigenous peoples globally. As a White educator, I am in the process of recognizing my privilege and my role in reifying these “structures of invasion.” Education has historically been a site to reinforce White supremacy, the colonial project, and European-centered forms of knowledge. When I taught in Hawai‘i, I did not speak the Hawaiian language, and while I included Hawaiian literature and concepts in my curriculum, my learning goals were guided by American-centric Common Core Standards. I was a homeowner in Hawai‘i while many Native Hawaiians or Kānaka Maoli lacked housing themselves, a home my husband and I were able to afford because he was a part of the U.S. military that continues to illegally occupy Hawai‘i.
Despite my entanglement in coloniality and White supremacy in these ways, I know that capitalism and its branches, to include the tourism industry, hurt the environment and exacerbate climate change. The survival of the Earth, my survival, depends on decolonizing, working towards true, collective liberation for everyone from systems that oppress and destroy our Earth. Living in Hawai‘i taught me that decolonizing is my responsibility—it is everyone’s responsibility, and it is in everyone’s interest. Decolonization necessitates action- we need to return Indigenous land and dismantle White Supremacy.

Dr. Eric Rackley, Brigham-Young University Hawaiʻi

I (Eric Rackley) came to this work through my experiences with literacy, disciplinary literacy, and living and working in Hawaii. My interest in this manuscript was primarily academic. I wanted to develop knowledge and understanding of individual and community meaning-making practices and provide opportunities for cooperative and generative academic dialogue. Throughout data collection, data analysis, and writing I sought to align this work with the standards of academic research, the current disciplinary literacy scholarship, and the insights and traditions of Indigenous communities. For me, this project was an opportunity to generate new knowledge of an important yet critically understudied area of literacy scholarship. It was also an opportunity to learn to engage more responsibly with a wider range of texts by developing in me a more robust understanding of the cultures, practices, epistemologies, and ideologies that undergird them and inform how to generate meaning with them.

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Published

2025-05-30

How to Cite

Wolstein, A., & Rackley, E. (2025). Disciplinary Literacy and Responsible Reading: Approaching Indigenous Texts. Language and Literacy, 27(2), 111–136. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29717

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 2 (2025): Regular Issue

Section

Articles

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