ERIC Number: EJ1486187
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2381-3369
EISSN: EISSN-2381-3377
Available Date: 0000-00-00
A Reconstructive Stance to Analyzing Op-Ed Writing as Resistance to "Divisive Concepts" Legislation
Melissa Schieble1; Michiko Hikida2; Laura Taylor3; Amy Vetter4; Kristen Hodnett5; Kushya Sugarman6
Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, v74 n1 p169-190 2025
Recognizing writing as a powerful form of political resistance, in this article the authors demonstrate how reconstructive discourse analysis (RDA) can be used to make visible how one individual used public media writing to advance movements of educational justice. Combining RDA with theories of argumentation and positioning to analyze an op-ed opposing "divisive concepts" legislation in Indiana, the authors illustrate how the op-ed author constructed the proposed bill as irrational while positioning himself as an authority on the topic. RDA can inform researchers seeking methodological tools to analyze such resistance and practitioners (including teachers, parents, students, and activists) seeking examples of successful forms of resistance. In this article, we demonstrate through one case how literacy researchers can support educators in sustaining their work for racial justice through reconstructive analyses that make visible possibilities of challenging attempts to constrain justice-oriented teaching and learning.
Descriptors: Writing (Composition), Resistance (Psychology), Opinions, Discourse Analysis, Educational Legislation, State Legislation, Social Justice, Structural Analysis (Linguistics), Authors, Controversial Issues (Course Content)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Hunter College-CUNY, New York, NY, USA; 2Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 3Educational Studies, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA; 4Teacher Education and Higher Education, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA; 5Department of Special Education, Hunter College-CUNY, New York, NY, USA; 6Urban Education, The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, NY, USA

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