Knowing the Subject, Knowing its History: Examining Key Figures in English who Contributed to its Emancipatory Nature

Trish Dowsett, Claire Jones

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This chapter examines the legacy of emancipation that influences the teaching of English in Australia today. It takes a biographical-historical approach and investigates inherited emancipatory threads, including various ideologies and practices in English teaching concerning reading, moral formation, social equality, and personal development. To do so, the chapter explores some of the ideas of Matthew Arnold, F.R. Leavis, Raymond Williams, Richard Hoggart, John Dixon, Terry Eagleton, Ian Hunter, and Bronwyn Mellor and Annette Patterson, in relation to emancipation. The chapter considers how imagined possibilities for English teaching can be shaped productively by knowing the historical narratives of emancipation. This is because understanding past emphases in English can elucidate English teaching for the purposes of equity, justice, and democracy in the present.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEnglish Language Arts as an Emancipatory Subject International Perspectives on Justice and Equity in the English Classroom
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Emancipation
  • English teaching
  • Moral formation
  • Personal development
  • Reading
  • Social equality

Disciplines

  • Language and Literacy Education

Cite this