The Culture of Banned Literacies: Erasure, Power, and the Cost of Silence

Type of Presentation

Panel

Conference Strand

Diversity and Inclusion

Target Audience

Higher Education

Second Target Audience

K-12

Location

Ogeechee Theater

Relevance

Literacy is a right–not a privilege–and any trend that bans literacy demands urgent scholarly attention through an intersectional lens to consider the complex interplay of race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and other identities, as well as the political milieu that surrounds it. This panel’s interdisciplinary panel bridges perspectives from Education, Sociology, Public Health, English, and Africana Studies to examine the implications of this growing phenomenon.

Proposal

The Culture of Banned Literacies: Erasure, Power, and the Cost of Silence

The recent surge in book bans across K12 and higher educational institutions in the last two years is just one symptom of a rising and disturbing societal trend in America. Banning of literacies of all kinds exists within a broader historical context of educational censorship and social control. While there are voices championing America’s commitment to free speech, the reality is that access to factual information is becoming harder, and many voices are being silenced in our changing educational landscape.

Literacy is a right–not a privilege–and any trend that bans literacy demands urgent scholarly attention through an intersectional lens to consider the complex interplay of race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and other identities, as well as the political milieu that surrounds it. This panel’s interdisciplinary panel bridges perspectives from Education, Sociology, Public Health, English, and Africana Studies to examine the implications of this growing phenomenon. Our panel will contextualize such trends while exploring how modern bans, such as books, health information, and scientific facts disproportionately affect marginalized communities and intersectional identities. Across our panel’s papers, we examine historical patterns of educational censorship and their relationship to authoritarian movements while addressing current challenges facing teachers and librarians under threat of professional retaliation.

This session will address urgent concerns about academic freedom and educational equity. We will explore the intentional spread of misinformation to justify censorship and how community-based resistance strategies and advocacy initiatives can increase dialogue and democratic participation. We see this research as activism in the spirit of Roderick Ferguson, who asks us to “interrupt the ‘social reproduction of cowardice’” by speaking up for intersectional approaches like CRT and speaking against bans that silence voices (qtd. In Rohrer 260, 2024). The 90-minute panel will feature five speakers and a moderated discussion, followed by a Q&A session focused on practical applications and advocacy strategies.

Short Description

This session will address urgent concerns about academic freedom and educational equity. We will explore the intentional spread of misinformation to justify censorship and how community-based resistance strategies and advocacy initiatives can increase dialogue and democratic participation. We see this research as activism in the spirit of Roderick Ferguson, who asks us to “interrupt the ‘social reproduction of cowardice’” by speaking up for intersectional approaches like CRT and speaking against bans that silence voices (qtd. In Rohrer 260, 2024). The 90-minute panel will feature five speakers and a moderated discussion, followed by a Q&A session focused on practical applications and advocacy strategies.

Keywords

Literacies, Banned Books, Academic Freedom

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Feb 6th, 2:00 PM Feb 6th, 2:45 PM

The Culture of Banned Literacies: Erasure, Power, and the Cost of Silence

Ogeechee Theater

The Culture of Banned Literacies: Erasure, Power, and the Cost of Silence

The recent surge in book bans across K12 and higher educational institutions in the last two years is just one symptom of a rising and disturbing societal trend in America. Banning of literacies of all kinds exists within a broader historical context of educational censorship and social control. While there are voices championing America’s commitment to free speech, the reality is that access to factual information is becoming harder, and many voices are being silenced in our changing educational landscape.

Literacy is a right–not a privilege–and any trend that bans literacy demands urgent scholarly attention through an intersectional lens to consider the complex interplay of race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and other identities, as well as the political milieu that surrounds it. This panel’s interdisciplinary panel bridges perspectives from Education, Sociology, Public Health, English, and Africana Studies to examine the implications of this growing phenomenon. Our panel will contextualize such trends while exploring how modern bans, such as books, health information, and scientific facts disproportionately affect marginalized communities and intersectional identities. Across our panel’s papers, we examine historical patterns of educational censorship and their relationship to authoritarian movements while addressing current challenges facing teachers and librarians under threat of professional retaliation.

This session will address urgent concerns about academic freedom and educational equity. We will explore the intentional spread of misinformation to justify censorship and how community-based resistance strategies and advocacy initiatives can increase dialogue and democratic participation. We see this research as activism in the spirit of Roderick Ferguson, who asks us to “interrupt the ‘social reproduction of cowardice’” by speaking up for intersectional approaches like CRT and speaking against bans that silence voices (qtd. In Rohrer 260, 2024). The 90-minute panel will feature five speakers and a moderated discussion, followed by a Q&A session focused on practical applications and advocacy strategies.