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There is much discussion of multiculturalism in education. This is especially true of multicultural literature for children and young adults. The rise of multicultural literature is a political rather than a literary movement; it is a movement to claim space in literature and in education for historically marginalized social groups rather than one to renovate the craft of literature itself. Multicultural literature has been closely bound with the cause of multiculturalism in general and thus has been confronted with resistance from conservatives. This book discusses many of the controversial issues surrounding multicultural literature for children and young adults.
The volume begins with a look at some of the foundational and theoretical issues related to multicultural literature. The second part of the book addresses issues related to the creation and critique of multicultural literature, including the authorship of such works and the role of the reader in determining whether or not a work is multicultural. The third looks at the place of multicultural literature in the education of children and young adults. Throughout its discussion, the book makes extensive references to a large body of multicultural fiction and provides a thorough review of research on this important topic.
List of contents
Preface
Issues Related to the Concept of Multicultural LiteratureDefining Multicultural Literature
Classifying Multicultural Literature
Issues Related to the Creation and Critique of Multicultural LiteratureImagination, Ethnicity, and Cultural Authenticity
Reader Response Theory and the Author Role in Multicultural Literature
Stereotyping and the Politics of Representation
Culturally Correct and the Evaluation of Multicultural Literature
Issues Related to the Use of Multicultural Literature in EducationCrossing Cultural Borders
From Informing to Empowering
Investigating Reader Responses to Multicultural Literature
Appendix: Web Sites Related to Multicultural Literature
Index
About the author
MINGSHUI CAI is Associate Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Northern Iowa. He is a member of the editorial board of
The Journal of Children's Literature and has also served on the editorial board of
Language Arts. His articles have appeared in
The New Advocate, Bookbird,
Children's Literature in Education, and other journals.
