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For many, the academy has historically represented privilege and intellectual exclusion; for others it has represented an increasingly contested site, as marginalized populations have challenged the myth of the ivory tower being a haven of meritocracy and equal opportunities.
List of contents
EDITOR'S NOTES 1 Dianne Ramdeholl 1. Knowledge, Power, Hope: Activism, Research, and Social Justice 5 Tannis Atkinson This chapter describes one Canadian adult literacy frontline worker's experiences in the field, unpacking the ways in which literacy is inextricably linked to issues of power and the policies that continue to oppress. 2. Decentering and Recentering the Ivory Tower: The Insights and Musings of an Interloper 15 Juanita Johnson-Bailey This chapter describes one woman of color's tenuous position as an outsider despite being a tenured professor, and the ways in which she has devoted her career to building coalitions that transcend race. 3. Decentering the Ivory Tower: A University of the Poor 25 Shivaani A. Selvaraj One activist on homelessness discusses her movement-building work in the margins and her uneasy journey toward and within academia. 4. The Illusive Ground Between Town and Gown 35 Tom Heaney Describing two different partnerships between community groups and higher institutions, the author explores conditions for equitable and fruitful partnerships. 5. The Turtle's Shell: Protecting the Life Underneath 45 John Garvey, John Gordon, Peter Kleinbard, Paul Wasserman The authors document their roles in the past 30 years of adult literacy work and advocacy work in New York City, aiming to preserve the history so others can walk into the story and change it. 6. Two Worlds in One Backpack 57 Mechthild Hart The author describes her personal learning journey in order to discuss how she combines the identities of academic and political activist and moves between the two worlds. 7. Labor Studies: Redefi ning a College Education 67 Sharon Szymanski, Richard Wells Describing experiences in a labor center situated within a university, the authors describe the program's philosophy and pedagogy, considering what dilemmas arise as educators attempt to link politics, experiences, and academic knowledges. 8. Creating a Community of Women Educated in Literacy 77 Mev Miller The author discusses the growth of a 4-year participatory research project that draws on the knowledges of adult literacy learners, educators, and supporters in ways that support women's literacy learning, honoring ways of knowing that the academy routinely sidelines. 9. What Time Is It on the Clock of the Universe? 89 Dianne Ramdeholl In reflecting on the various experiences of authors in this volume, this final chapter unpacks the notion of decentering and implications for academia and the larger society. INDEX 97
Summary
For many, the academy has historically represented privilege and intellectual exclusion; for others it has represented an increasingly contested site, as marginalized populations have challenged the myth of the ivory tower being a haven of meritocracy and equal opportunities.
