Exploring and Expanding Literacy Histories of the United States: A Spotlight on Under-Recognized Histories

Exploring and Expanding Literacy Histories of the United States brings together new scholarship and critical perspectives hitherto missing from dominant narratives to offer a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse record of the history of American reading instruction. This book addresses the many important developments in the history of literacy in the United States that occurred outside of mainstream public education, in marginalized communities in and outside of traditional school contexts.

Instead of a ＂top-down＂ approach of prominent thinkers and theorists, the book intends to cover key blind spots, including literacy education in Indigenous nations, and how marginalized groups have fought for access to education, by applying a critical lens to the under-recognized histories of literacy.

This volume is essential reading for courses on History of Reading Education and Foundations of Literacy.

Samuel DeJulio is an assistant professor of literacy education in the department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His work is focused primarily on literacy teacher preparation and historical literacy research.

Leah Durán is an Associate Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. A former bilingual teacher, her scholarship sits at the intersection of bilingual education, (bi)literacy and early childhood education.