Girls' Literacy Experiences In and Out of School: Learning and Composing Gendered Identities

How do American girls compose and amend their identities? In this text, prominent scholars in their respective fields examine the complex social and cultural constructions that shape girls’ lives both in and out of school. The book looks at matters ranging from embedded issues of class, race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and sexuality to popular culture and personal histories.

Exploring the scholarly literature on gender and education, the successes and failures of feminist pedagogy, and girls’ practices with both traditional and non-traditional texts, as well as the primary sources of a material culture, the authors expose the myriad forces that script girls’ gender, identity, and literacy. The distinctive contribution of this book is to open up new discussions of girls in American classrooms today and to critically examine their experiences as they navigate preconceived notions of who they are while forming their personal and public identities, thereby helping teachers to better understand and create classroom experiences that make girls visible to themselves and to others.

Elaine J. O’Quinn is Professor, English Department, Appalachian State University, USA.