In this session, we share the healing power of literature and argue that literacy is the lifelong intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of written or printed text. We touch upon different types of writing and writers who aim to explore the healing process through words.
In Spatializing Social Justice we connect key themes of social justice literacy with writers and writing. Social justice as a paradigm for the English classroom resounds with tension and resolution. Digital Humanities, the Hurston archive, forms the basis of that the works of Zora Neale Hurston invite continued research for social justice literacy. Semiotic praxis is the primary framework, with exploration of works from Zora Neale Hurston’s The Complete Stories.
Gandhi and Kingian Principles establish further study of social justice literacy. Upon his death, Mohandas K.Gandhi was hailed by the London Times. Gandhi protested against racism in South Africa and colonial rule in India using nonviolent resistance. A testament to the revolutionary power of nonviolence, Gandhi’s approach directly influenced Martin Luther King Jr.