Chapter 9 Banned books in K-12 classrooms: Weaponization of children and young adolescent literature
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Burcu Ates
Abstract
On September 2, 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), which replaced House Bill 3979, and became law on September 1, 2021. SB 3 restricts classroom learning in all K-12 courses by prohibiting teachers from discussing certain topics related to racism, bias, and disturbing historical facts about the founding of the United States. It furthermore restricts how teachers discuss current controversial events and issues. The Texas Legislatures’ long-term efforts have directly impacted the books used in K-12 classrooms and libraries asarious independent school districts (ISDs) across Texas have removed books due to policymakers’ and parents’ raising concerns and making complaints regarding content. This chapter utilizes critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1995) to examine how supporters of banned books have used Pascale’s (2019) four interlocking components of weaponized language to have books removed from school libraries and curricula to serve their own personal, social, and political agendas. The chapter further discusses the harm that banning books causes students, the school curriculum, and communities in general. It concludes by highlighting the ways student leaders, schools, and communities advocate opposing both national and local efforts to ban books.
Abstract
On September 2, 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), which replaced House Bill 3979, and became law on September 1, 2021. SB 3 restricts classroom learning in all K-12 courses by prohibiting teachers from discussing certain topics related to racism, bias, and disturbing historical facts about the founding of the United States. It furthermore restricts how teachers discuss current controversial events and issues. The Texas Legislatures’ long-term efforts have directly impacted the books used in K-12 classrooms and libraries asarious independent school districts (ISDs) across Texas have removed books due to policymakers’ and parents’ raising concerns and making complaints regarding content. This chapter utilizes critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1995) to examine how supporters of banned books have used Pascale’s (2019) four interlocking components of weaponized language to have books removed from school libraries and curricula to serve their own personal, social, and political agendas. The chapter further discusses the harm that banning books causes students, the school curriculum, and communities in general. It concludes by highlighting the ways student leaders, schools, and communities advocate opposing both national and local efforts to ban books.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- Chapter 1 An introduction to the weaponizing of language in the classroom and beyond 1
- Chapter 2 Language weaponization, missed opportunities, and transformational spaces in Bangladeshi English departments: A biographical perspective 13
- Chapter 3 Flipping the script: A collaborative autoethnography of agency and voices in the weaponization of bilingual education in Taiwan 35
- Chapter 4 The price we pay: An autobiographical dialogue of linguistic violence in the African diaspora 63
- Chapter 5 “That’s easy”: An analysis of speech acts in an instance of cross-cultural miscommunication 89
- Chapter 6 A critical look at ‘Pato’ y ‘Maricón’: Puerto Rican Gay teachers’ interventions with homophobic language 109
- Chapter 7 The weaponization of Setswana: Implications for marginalized languages in Botswana 127
- Chapter 8 Using your own language against you: Spanish in U.S. classrooms 147
- Chapter 9 Banned books in K-12 classrooms: Weaponization of children and young adolescent literature 169
- Chapter 10 French variations and language weaponization in US higher education 191
- Chapter 11 Dismantling weaponizing language in teacher preparation programs 213
- Afterword: Language weaponization and its harm 231
- Editors 237
- Contributors 239
- Index 243
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- Chapter 1 An introduction to the weaponizing of language in the classroom and beyond 1
- Chapter 2 Language weaponization, missed opportunities, and transformational spaces in Bangladeshi English departments: A biographical perspective 13
- Chapter 3 Flipping the script: A collaborative autoethnography of agency and voices in the weaponization of bilingual education in Taiwan 35
- Chapter 4 The price we pay: An autobiographical dialogue of linguistic violence in the African diaspora 63
- Chapter 5 “That’s easy”: An analysis of speech acts in an instance of cross-cultural miscommunication 89
- Chapter 6 A critical look at ‘Pato’ y ‘Maricón’: Puerto Rican Gay teachers’ interventions with homophobic language 109
- Chapter 7 The weaponization of Setswana: Implications for marginalized languages in Botswana 127
- Chapter 8 Using your own language against you: Spanish in U.S. classrooms 147
- Chapter 9 Banned books in K-12 classrooms: Weaponization of children and young adolescent literature 169
- Chapter 10 French variations and language weaponization in US higher education 191
- Chapter 11 Dismantling weaponizing language in teacher preparation programs 213
- Afterword: Language weaponization and its harm 231
- Editors 237
- Contributors 239
- Index 243
