Critical discourse analysis was going to be my methodology for my veganism idea. Bloome and Carter define it as "a set of approaches to discourses analysis focusing on power relations. The models of power, understandings of language, culture, and social processes, and foci of analysis, varies across approaches" (as cited in Willis 52). The specific discourse that I was interested in critically analyzing was vegan cookbooks, blogs, websites, and other spaces where vegans articulate their identity in written form. I was interested in seeing how the vegan identity comes off as negative to those who aren't vegan, so perhaps the "power relations" would've come into play with vegans who deem themselves as "more vegan" than others--I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I've come across vegans who are very critical of what other vegans consume or wear and the second they fall out of line they are no longer "vegan." I guess you could say they hold each other accountable! That methodology would have certainly cultivated an understanding of cultural as well as social processes I think. There is a great article* on critical discourse analysis that was recently published in CCC that would be helpful for anyone looking to use CDA as a research method: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/docview/1081830959/fulltextPDF?accountid=5683
I was also intrigued by the section on critical race theory in that it reminded me of my current thesis topic, even though my current thesis topic doesn't have much to do with race (although it could). I'm arguing the value and viability of narrative inquiry as a method of examining the concepts of community and exclusion in the writing center. This passage stood out to me as it pertains to my specific method of research:
"[Scholars] use autobiography, biography, parables, stories, testimonio, and voice, infusing humor and allegory to expose hidden truths and to explicate and situate race, racism, and power within the experiences of people of Color without the need for interlopers, interlocutors, or interpreters of the 'Other'" (58).
The stories I will be weaving into my thesis do contain and address themes of racism and power, although that is not the focus of my project, so I don't think that I would name critical race theory as necessarily guiding my project... any thoughts?
The Insider/Outsider/Within section on page 61 also stood out to me, since I deal a lot with the ideas of insiders and outsiders, given my themes of community and exclusion. I can see myself taking on the "outsider within" label, given that I spend a lot of time discussing the students who are excluded from writing center communities, typically the ESL students with whom I was close during my time as an undergraduate writing tutor. "Because of their unique and unusually close relationship with and among their participants of Color, they possess an uncanny understanding of the lived experiences, culture, and language of their participants and concomitant empathy for the oppression and racism experienced by their participants. In other words, they describe themselves as 'outsiders within'" (61-62). Then again, if I am speaking with the experience of a writing center tutor who was an "insider," perhaps I am more accurately an "insider-outsider-within"?
*If the link doesn't work, it's:
Huckin, Thomas, Jennifer Andrus, and Jennifer Clary-Lemon. "Critical Discourse Analysis and Rhetoric
and Composition." College Composition and
Communication 64.1 (2012):
107-29. National Council of
Teachers of English. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.
I think it is interesting that you used the quote about testimonies and telling stories. That passage stood out to me as well as something I could use in my current thesis.Although my topic does have to do with racial issues, Hip Hop is about telling a story as a means to combat the social power truggle. As for your questions, I believe that you should utlize this theory. It may not hve to deal with race as a focal point but you are telling your story and part of your story is your race. All of those traits culminate to produce who you are so in effective you have valid reasoning for using it as a supplementary tool (since it is not your focus like you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI say go for it!
I'm really intrigued by your vegan identity idea, as a vegetarian I know that these power struggles exist; after all it's reinforced by a binary (omnivore/carnivore, meat eater/non-meat eater etc). This could almost be related to the conversation we had last week about how some students of color are criticized and deemed white, or told that they're acting white. As if the students of color are disqualifying each other instead of being supportive. The same is true of many vegans and vegetarians, there's power struggles within the groups themselves. These power relations can be seen widely in vegan groups in public, on the internet, in books, etc. I think the people making it so difficult to be vegan are the ones part of the lifestyle themselves. This is a great idea!
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