Narrative Inquiry in a Multicultural Landscape: Multicultural Teaching and Learning

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Based on a two-year narrative study with an inner-city school teacher, the work provides an alternative way of thinking about multicultural education, termed narrative multiculturalism. The heart of this study is a detailed narrative account of a teacher in an inner-city school. For two years, the author collaborated with an immigrant teacher from the Caribbean, studying her practice from three perspectives: place--the community and school landscape; temporality--the history of the school and current programs; and interaction--the teacher's relationship with the school, parents, and students. Current ways of examining multicultural issues focus on the analysis of broad factors affecting large groups of people. In the process, the individual is subsumed within catagories and the subtle nuances of experiences are lost. The narrative approach outlined in the book offers a new perspective on multiculturalism and research into multicultural education, one the author terms narrative multiculturalism. Narrative multiculturalism begins with experience as it is shaped by the contexts in which people live and work. It is also shaped by broader societal and global forces. In this approach, multiculturalism is viewed as a fluid process, continually evolving, changing, and transforming. Narrative multiculturalism develops an in-depth understanding of individual experiences and thereby creates an alternate perspective on multiculturalism.

Reviews

This study is profound and revolutionary...I recommend this work to educators and administrators who believe that understanding current realities is necessary before deciding how things should be changed to ensure effective teaching.-Mulitcultural Review
"This study is profound and revolutionary...I recommend this work to educators and administrators who believe that understanding current realities is necessary before deciding how things should be changed to ensure effective teaching."-Mulitcultural Review

Author Bio

JOANN PHILLION is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University.