Critical literacy: The encounter between Western secularism and Islamic spirituality in selected young adult novels – An approach
Literator
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Critical literacy: The encounter between Western secularism and Islamic spirituality in selected young adult novels – An approach Kritiese geletterdheid: Die ontmoeting tussen die Westerse sekularisme en Islamitiese spiritualiteit in geselekteerde romans vir jong volwasseness – 'n benadering | |
| Creator | Romylos, Salome | |
| Description | This article aims to show how selected young adult novels may be potentially powerful locations for creating an awareness and better understanding of Muslims, Islam, and veiling practices in particular. Critical literacy as a methodology will be employed to demonstrate how learners may be guided towards critically engaging with texts. This is essential as mere surface knowledge is not enough when learners are confronted with complex issues, such as race, spirituality and culture. Western TV, newspapers, and magazines are responsible for painting a very monolithic image of Muslims as a seamless homogeneous group. Many young adults are actively engaging in conversations on digital media, such as Twitter and Facebook, where issues of culture and diversity are commented on regularly. Westerners may form very negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims when inundated with a deluge of images of atrocities performed by extremist groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The consequence is that all Muslims are stereotyped as being fundamentalists, terrorists and oppressing their women. Thus knowledge construction is manipulated by Western media. An understanding of the reasons for donning a piece of cloth – the headscarf – may serve as a starting point in changing perceptions about Muslims and their diverse practices. Educators should be wary of only advocating tolerance among different cultural groups, as tolerance implies a mere managing of one’s feelings of aversion for that which is to be tolerated. Critical literacy questions on texts, such as The breadwinner trilogy by Deborah Ellis and The girl in the tangerine scarf by Mohja Kahf, are discussed as examples for use in classrooms. These texts are very different in their portrayals of Muslim girls/women and may be read comparatively. The complexity of the encounter between Western secularism and Islamic spirituality emerges either subtly or explicitly in the novels discussed. Hierdie artikel het ten doel om aan te toon dat die geselekteerde romans vir jong volwassenes potensieel kragtige ruimtes kan wees vir die skep van ’n bewustheid en beter begrip van Moslems, Islam, en veral van die dra van sluiers en kopdoeke. Kritiese geletterdheid as ’n metodologie word gebruik om te demonstreer hoe leerders gelei kan word om krities betrokke te raak by tekste. Dit is noodsaaklik, omdat blote oppervlakkennis nie genoeg is wanneer leerders gekonfronteer word met ingewikkelde kwessies soos ras, spiritualiteit en kultuur nie. Westerse televisie, koerante en tydskrifte skilder ’n baie eensydige beeld van Moslems as ’n naatloos homogene groep. Baie jong volwassenes neem aktief deel aan gesprekke op digitale media, soos Twitter en Facebook, waar kwessies van kultuur en diversiteit gereeld ter sprake kom. Westerlinge kan baie negatiewe persepsies van Islam en Moslems vorm wanneer hulle oorval word met ’n stortvloed beelde van gruwelikhede wat uitgevoer word deur ekstremistegroepe soos die Islamitiese Staat van Irak en die Ooste (ISIS). Die gevolg is dat alle Moslems gestereotipeer word as fundamentaliste, terroriste en onderdrukkers van vroue. Hierdie kenniskonstruk word gemanipuleer deur die media. ’n Begrip van die redes waarom vroue ’n stuk lap – die kopdoek – dra, kan ’n beginpunt wees vir die verandering van persepsies van Moslems en hul verskillende praktyke. Opvoeders moet oppas om nie net verdraagsaamheid tussen verskillende kulturele groepe te verkondig nie, want verdraagsaamheid impliseer ’n blote bestuur van ’n mens se gevoelens van afsku vir dit wat verdra word. Vrae wat uit ’n standpunt van kritiese geletterdheid gestel kan word aan tekste soos The breadwinner-trilogie deur Deborah Ellis en The girl in the tangerine scarf by Mohja Kahf, word bespreek as voorbeelde wat in die klaskamer gebruik kan word. Hierdie tekste beeld Moslemvroue en -meisies baie anders uit en kan vergelykend gelees word. Die kompleksiteit van die ontmoeting tussen die Westerse sekularisme en Islamitiese spiritualiteit kom ook, subtiel of nadruklik, uit die romans na vore. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2016-11-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/lit.v37i1.1260 | |
| Source | Literator; Vol 37, No 1 (2016); 12 pages Literator; Vol 37, No 1 (2016); 12 pages 2219-8237 0258-2279 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1260/2162
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1260/2161
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1260/2163
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1260/2156
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