“I want them to see the real us not just what they what they want us to be…”: Cultivating a ‘Literate Language of the Soul’ for Radical Hope

Authors

Patriann Smith, University of South FloridaFollow

Abstract

In this conceptual essay, I argue that radical hope can be fostered through literacies of timeless learning based on student-created literature in literacy and English language arts classrooms as an endeavor of soul education, allowing teachers and youth to cultivate a literate language of the soul. Drawing on tenets of soul education and its interconnections with affect theory and Ubuntu as an African spirituality, I describe how literacy and English language arts teachers working with predominantly Black middle-school youth connected their histories, backgrounds, stories, and understandings while engaging with literature created by their students. I argue that exploring literacies of timeless learning to foster radical hope through cultivating a literate language of the soul can allow educators to look beyond the material level and reach the spirit of the child. Radical hope through literacy/ELA is possible to the degree that teachers and educators commit to cultivating a literate language of the soul.

Recommended Citation

Smith, Patriann (2023) "“I want them to see the real us not just what they what they want us to be…”: Cultivating a ‘Literate Language of the Soul’ for Radical Hope," Literacy Practice and Research: Vol. 48: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/lpr/vol48/iss2/5