This document contains the agenda and notes for an English 343 class discussing identity and immigration narratives. The topics covered include reminders, a video on using immigration stories in class, reviewing concepts from the previous week like identity and representation, analyzing identity narratives in groups, and discussing a documentary on the Chinese immigrant experience. Key concepts are defined, such as otherization, orientalism, linguistic relativity, habitus, and cultural capital. Students then share their thoughts on identity narratives and the experiences of immigrants feeling pressured to abandon their original culture to assimilate into American culture. One student shares her personal narrative of feeling caught between cultures as the daughter of immigrants.

1. English 343-001
January, 30 2012

2. Agenda
Discussion Topics
 Reminders/announcements
 Short Video on how to use immigration stories in class.
 Going over last week‟s concepts.
 Identity: Holliday et. al.& Pavlenkov: Being represented, Multi-
facedness, artifacts of culture, think description (emic vs etic
perspective), identity narratives, autobiographies.
 Group work: Analyzing Identity Narratives
 Kumaravadivelu Chapter 2
 Becoming American: The Chinese Experience. Documentary by Bill
Moyers

3. Reminders/Announcements
 Change in DUE date of the first assignment, Language
and culture trajectory: New deadline: February 14.
 Add B 1.5 to the Holliday et. al. reading
 Grad student meeting at 8:10 about book review project
 See me after class if you are still experiencing problems
with blogs.
 Please post your entries by 4:00 pm LATEST.

4. Immigration Stories as Classroom
Research
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33OINi3xVbc&featur
e=related

5. Overview of concepts
from last week

6. Important terms and concepts
HOLLIDAY ET AL.: KUMARAVADIVELU,
2006 CHPATER 2
 Ethnic reductionism  Habitus
(Baumann)
 Cultural capital
 Cultural essentialism
 Otherization/cultural
 Nonessentialism otherization
 Liberal multiculturalism  The principle of linguistic
(Holliday, Kubota)
relativity
 Small cultures and large
cultures  Whorfian hypothesis
(strong vs weak version)

7. Habitus and cultural
capital(Pierre Bourdieu)
Critical Pedagogy in TESOL relies heavily on a wide range of theorists such as Pierre
Bourdieu, Michael Bakhtin, M. Foucault, Paula Freire.
Piere Bourdue, a sociologist of education asks: Who gets education? How does education
reproduce the inequalities of society? (especially in the case of minority students)
“English could serve a gatekeeping function, and standardized tests drive the
curriculum”
These notions helps us analyze the inequality in language education!
Habitus: How we act and think in the world.
 Acquired dispositions through extensive involvement in the practice of everyday life.
 Think: Which are the events that influenced every American in the same way?
Cultural Capital: Ways of speaking and literacy practices. Non-financial assets such as
knowledge. Individuals accumulate cultural capital through education and socialization
Examples: Access to English is recognized as having value. One with financial capital can
pay for English classes. One‟s knowledge of English supplies cultural and social capital.
gaining a cultural capital. “The dispositions that constitutes habitus are inculcated,
structured, generative, and transposable. Given that the cultural capital values upper-
class dispositions, is it possible for education to transform those relations of domination?

8. Otherization and Orientalizm
Otherization
 Reductive process that ascribe an imagined superior identity to the Self and an
imagined inferior identity to the Other. “Colonizers systematically devalue the
colonized and how develuation expends to every aspect of life. See Memi‟s The
Colonizer and the colonized.
Orientalism (coined by Edward Said)
 Western representation of the Other (i.e. East). “Orientalism is a systematically
constructed discourse by which the West “ was able to manage—and produce—the
Orient politically, sociologically, ideologically, scientifically, and imaginatively”
(Said, 1978). Eg. Accents of Arabs in Aladdin. Aladdin is also Arab bur speaks
English in Standard English.
 Produces an essentialist and static Other.
 Cultures, just like people, are not islands by themselves. They are all
interconnected, making every culture, in effect, a hybrid culture.

9. The connection between language and culture
(Kumar p. 21-23)
Linguistic relativity. Sapir-Wholf Hypothesis
“No two languages are sufficiently similar to represent the same
social reality” (Sapir, 1949 p. 162).
The Apache equivalent of “He invited people to a feast is “He or
somebody goes for eaters of cooked food”--Apaches speak
differently because they think differently.
According to this view, the grammar structure of a language
determines one‟s view of world- Considered TOO STRONG
(with racial overtones).
Weaker version: Language influences thought.
The use of you (see page 21)

10. Pavlenkov & Holliday et al
Identity, Narrative inquiry

11. Your voices on Identity
narratives, representation
and immigrant stories

12. Jean says….
 Pavlenko's article shows many excerpts of the stories told by immigrants who came from
the southern and eastern part of Europe. Their stories and experiences show a lot of
what they went through in order to "Americanize" themselves into the culture that had
just begun to live in. It makes me sad to read that many of these immigrants "shed" their
own culture to pursue the American one. It's as if they thought that stripping themselves
of their own culture would make it easier to obtain the American Dream that so many
came to have. Reading this article, I initially thought to myself "Immigrants don't really
do this anymore." However, thinking about that thought, I corrected myself and began to
think about the people I know who are immigrants and what they did to Americanize
themselves. My parents have a few friends that moved to America not too long ago, and
they are doing their very best to be as American as possible. Now I'm wondering "What
does it really mean to be American? Because there really is no specific guideline to being
American. America is made of a myriad of cultures." The family is from South Korea and
have done almost anything and everything to become "American." I asked their six year
old son, "What does it mean to be American?" He answered with words like "English,"
"hamburgers and hotdogs," "having Caucasian friends," and things of that nature. But are
these really the qualities that make us American? It concerns me that people are willing
to drop their own culture at the drop of a hat to become English speaking American. It
does sound drastic (and it is), but there really are people who do believe in this notion.
Would you be willing to share your personal narrative?

13. Ryann says…
 The paper (Pavlenkov‟s article) focused on the narrative
identities constructed in first-generation American immigrant
autobiographies. We often forget to look at autobiographies
which are really powerful sources that provide real-life
perspectives from someone‟s personal journey. As a learner,
hearing other‟s experiences helps me make connections and
relate to the material…. The many stories that were in this
article were chronicles of the first immigrants to undergo the
process of Americanization. Their stories were originally
needed to provide hope for other immigrants, help educate
mainstream citizens and continue the process of
Americanization in the U.S. As I read this article I asked
myself, why does undergoing Americanization require
individuals to give up their own personal culture and heritage?
Why can someone not belong to more than one culture? I am
a student and a daughter. I am also a big sister, a friend and a
tutor. I can‟t belong to only one cultural identity. Why can‟t
immigrants keep their culture while assimilating to the
American culture?

14. Ashley Lenz says…
 Even before reading the material for this week, I had an experience that
led me to relate to a lot of what this week‟s chapters convey. Whether it
be from speaking Spanish, living abroad in Spain, or having a Mexican
boyfriend, I have always felt more at home with people who are part of
a Latino culture. I feel that in my heart, I identify myself as somewhat of
a Latina; however, my exterior ethnicity makes it hard for others to see
me as such…. Reading about Roberto from Peru, who would‟ve done
anything to become more “gringo,” I realize that looking at the situation
from a distance, it seems sad that someone would want to give up their
culture and change everything about who they are and where they come
from for anything else. Maybe because I come from that “gringo”,
American culture and do not feel as a strong member, so I find it hard to
find what could be so special that you would want to become a part of
it. However I see that all over the world there are people who wish to
change their identities to become someone else and that I am not the
only one that feels trapped in between where I come from and where I
wish to be.
Would you be willing to share your narrative?

15. Moon says…
 When I read this passage from Pavkelkov, this described how I
felt. I recently became a citizen of United States. I lived in
U.S. for ten years. I spend my youth years in United States
and I will in the future. I am Korean and I lived there for a
long time. Many of my Korean friends think that I am too
Americanized. Many of my non-Korean friends think that I am
very Korean. I used to be very confused with my own identity.
I felt like I got rejected by both of cultures that I live with.
My English proficiency isn‟t perfect as Americans but neither
is my Korean. I was always questioning which cultures that I
need to accept in order to get accepted in both societies.
Then, I realized that I didn‟t get rejected by both cultures, I
am accepting both cultures which make me who I am. I
understand the perspective of both cultures because I accept
them. I don‟t necessary agree with some of Korean norms or
American norms. I just know and understand both cultures.

16. Moon continues..
 I agree that many immigrants‟ especially Asian immigrants believe that
they need to give up their native culture to become „American.‟
Therefore, they give up using their native language. I had this argument
with my friend on Sunday. She told me that many other immigrants or
second generation kids understand their native language and speak
perfectly. However, many Korean immigrants or second generation kids
cannot speak Korean very well. She blamed that it is Korean parents
which is 1st generation think that it is not necessary to teach Korean
since they live in America. I believe that it is very hard for immigrants to
accept some cultural norms that is opposite of their culture. Therefore,
they are likely to give up their culture since they are living in America. I
see many of my Korean friends. They are Americanized, or Koreanized.
In Korean society, we have a name for it: Fob and Twinkie. Fob means
“fresh off the boat” which is for immigrants who accept only their native
culture. Twinkie is for usually second generation, which for people who
reject their native culture and accept American culture. Usually, fobs
and twinkies don‟t like each other. Fobs don‟t understand that twinkies
are so Americanized when they are Korean. Twinkies don‟t understand
that why fobs keep their cultural norms so much when they live in the
U.S.

17. Alice says…
 As I read this article (Pavlenkov‟s), I was struck by the
power of language to define and “otherize” speakers of
different languages, as well as influence them.
Language, a powerful cultural carrier, shaped the
personal and national identities of immigrants. In the
case of American English, English transformed from a
language of national unity used to help immigrants
assimilate to American life to a language that now
entails that new English speakers in the U.S. must lose
significant parts of their identities associated with their
native languages and cultures. In other words, English in
contemporary America implies that the idea of
monolingualism is part of America‟s national identity.

18. Alice continues…
 English was not only practical for conducting daily life in
America, but it also became a status symbol, similar to
the immigrant narratives described in Pavlenko‟s article.
However, I can‟t help but think that a significant part of
a person‟s heritage is lost with the rejection of his or
her native language. Language is a link to previous
generations and can form an important part of
someone‟s personal or community identity. This history
leads me to question how we teach English in an
American-based ESL context today. What are some
practical ways that we, as educators, can teach our
students to utilize the power of English without
rejecting their other cultural and linguistic heritages?

19. Sarah Johnson says…
 Pavlenko concluded that earlier immigrants had an easier time learning English for
several reasons: many were already multi-lingual, so learning a new language was
a familiar process; the types of jobs acquired by these immigrant often required
limited English-speaking skills, so they assumed proficiency while really having a
basic understanding of the language; laws at the time required the learning of
English, so by learning English, they were only doing what was expected of them
and what all of their compatriots were doing or had already done. Modern day
immigrants have a more difficult time gaining English proficiency because the
expectations for "proficiency" are higher, there is a general feeling of nationalism
that leads many immigrants to resist formerly common forms of assimilation, and
they feel that learning the new language will mean abandoning their own. It is this
last assumption that I do not quite agree with, although I know this conclusion is
based on what seems to be quite extensive research. I'm not sure I agree because
the school at which I teach, while maintaining a generally homogeneous
population, did experience for a few years a sporadic influx of Hispanic migrant
workers. The experiences I've had with these families reflect more what Pavlenko
described of the turn-of-the-century immigrants than the modern ones,
particularly with regard to their lack of abandonment of their native language.
These families almost uniformly had learned a basic level of English, as their jobs
required, yet they maintained a use of both languages when speaking with friends
and families. These families did not seem reluctant in the least to learn (more)
English, but they also kept a strong hold on their first language.

20. Aurlie wonders…
 In history we are taught that American is the melting
pot but now I wonder if that is really true? If we all melt
and become one, why is there still discrimination? The
other question is, should we all melt? Why can we just
co-exist and try to learn from one another instead of
wanting to change one another.

21. Tomas wonders…
 Why did all of the literature avoid the concept of how a
name comes to shape your identity?
 What do we do in the EFL/ESL classroom w/r/t names
of students? Should we give them English names?
 In what ways can we become more aware of our
essentialist bias through which we view the world?

22. Identity and language
 Languages are not only markers of identity but also sites of
resistance, empowerment, solidarity, or discrimination.
 Giddens says our identities are reflexively organized information
about possible ways of life (how to act and how to be). What a
person is understood to be varies across cultures—do you agree
with this?
 One‟s identity is not set and stone; it is not only in the behavior
or people‟s reactions, but it‟s in the narrative you tell about
yourself. It integrates events which occur in your world—It‟s an
ongoing story about self.
 Do you see your identity as a matter of keeping “a particular
narrative going” or would you use another metaphor? What
metaphor would you use to describe your identity. Explain your
metaphor.

23. Discussion questions on identity
 How is identity of one individual created?
 To what extend is any one individual‟s identity a matter
of personality and to what extent do influences from
the socio-cultural context impact?
 If identities do change, what factors are responsible for
such change?
 What‟s the relationship between language and identity?

24. Holliday A.1.1 Deep seated
essentialism: Discussion on Parisa
 Summarize Parisa‟s example.
 What did you make out of the comments that Parisa
received from her colleagues? What are some of the
essentialist attributes behind Parisa‟s colleagues‟
behaviors? Give instances from the excerpt where Parisa
was “othered” or “misrepresented” (be specific)
 How do you think Parisa‟s colleagues would act if they
were holding a non-essentialist view of culture? (see pg.
11)
Discussion: Think of a situation you have been in which is
like the Perisa example and describe it in similar detail.

25. Important terms
 Multi-facetedness of people
 Thick-description (Clifford Geertz): Seeing and explaining the
complexity of a social event by looking at it from different layers (see
the figure on pg 9). A thick description of a human behavior or a social
event explains not just the behavior, but its context so that the behavior
becomes meaningful to an outsider (see emic vs etic levels of cultural
analysis on page 241—dangers of contrasting selves)
 Emic vs etic level of cultural analysis (pg. 241). Different cultural groups
operate in different norms that only make sense within the groups, not
between the groups. Emic perspective comes from a persin witin the
culture (or who offers thic description on that culture). Etic description
comes from an observer.
 Keniith Pike (1954) suggests that “there are two perspectives that can be
employed in the study of a society‟s cultural system, just as there are
two perspectives that can be used in the study of a language‟s sound
system. In both cases, it is possible to take the point of view of either
the insider or the outsider.” (phonemic and phonetic)

26. A.1.2: Chinese teaches
 What was going on in the Chinese teachers example
on page 12? How is Chinese society represented by
Zhang and Ming?

27. Cultural identity and
deconstruction of self
 What people say about their own cultural identity
should be read as the image they wish to project at a
particular time rather than as an evidence of an
essentialist national culture (p. 13)
Have you experienced a situation similar to the Chinese
teachers? What are some of the differing ideologies we
hold as teachers about our own pedagogical practices in
the U.S.? Is there a unified way of explaining our
experience? What are the cultural resources you draw as
you form your ideologies about teaching ESL/EFL or any
other subject?

28.  We are linked through a common experience, we have
our icons, our ideologies and our communal history to
draw on, and we encapsulate all of this in our
discourses. Because all of us inhabit different cultural
groups, we are in fact all unique in our cultural
identities (p. 19)

29. Who is Aneta Pavlenko?
 Professor of TESOL at Temple
University, NY.
 Winner of the 2009 TESOL
Award for Distinguished
Research and of the British
Association
 Research Interests:
Multilingualism, bilingualism,
immigrant narratives,
language and identity.
 Check out her website!

30. Pavlenko‟s study
 Analysis of 11 narrative of immigrant memoirs and
autobiographies published between the years of 1901 and
1935.
 Methodology: A sociohistoric approach to study personal
narratives” which sees autobiography as a literary and
sociological form that creates particular images of subjects in
particular historical moments” (genre that is shaped by the
local contexts)
 Research questions: which identities are negotiated? What is
the role of language? Does the portray of second language
learning in 20th century differs from those in immigrant
autobiographies?

31. The analysis of earlier narratives
 Inequality between immigrants.
 Some felt the need to establish and argue for their
Americanness.
 English was seen as the key of assimilation, but the
omission of “language” in the earlier narratives is
intriguing. (see the examples)
 Stories of “happy linguistic assimilation”: Second
language learning as a successful and easy process. No
mention of linguistic discrimination.

32. The analysis of later narratives
 Linguistic hybridity
 Recognition of ethnicity, race and gender.
 Linguistic identities are negotiated in different ways
according to the narrators sociohistorical realities.
 National identity became strongly bound to
monolingalism in English.
 Present immigrants find themselves in a situation where
learning English means giving up the first language.
 Accounts of painful experiences

33. Identity narrative analysis
 In your groups read the narratives from three different
groups. What are some of the emerging themes do you
see in these narratives? How do they negotiate their
identities? How is second language and culture learning
represented?
1. Narrative excerpts from “The inner world of the
immigrant child”
2. Narrative excerpts from Eva Hoffman, Fen Shen, H.Kim

34. Group Work: Narrative analysis
Analyzing language choices and content of the immigrant narratives:
 What identities are narrated in this excerpt? Which events in their
learning trajectory have become particularly significant and which have
likely been omitted as a result of this choice?
 What are some of the emerging themes you see in these narratives? How
do they negotiate their identities? How is second language and culture
learning represented?
 Examine the audience the narrator chose to address.
 What are the implications of this linguistic choice for their narrative?
Were the stories elicited in two languages or just one? Is it possible that
proficiency or attrition have influenced the manner of the presentation
or the amount of detail offered by the narrator? (Pavkenkov, 2009)
REPORT YOUR FINDINGS TO THE WHOLE CLASS

35. Assignments
 Next week: Readings, writing a learning log
Happy reading! Happy blogging!