Overview

Humanities scholar Aja Y. Martinez makes a compelling case for counterstory as methodology in rhetoric and writing studies through the well-established framework of critical race theory (CRT), reviewing first the counterstory work of Richard Delgado, Derrick Bell, and Patricia J. Williams, whom she terms counterstory exemplars. Delgado, Bell, and Williams, foundational critical race theorists working in the respective counterstory genres of narrated dialogue, fantasy/allegory, and autobiography, have set precedent for others who would research and compose with this method. Arguing that counterstory provides opportunities for marginalized voices to contribute to conversations about dominant ideology, Martinez applies racial and feminist rhetorical criticism to the rich histories and theories established through counterstory genres, all the while demonstrating how CRT theories and methods can inform  teaching, research, and writing/publishing of counterstory.

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9780814108789

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Reviews

The fields of rhetoric and writing studies do not always have time for counterstory, but counterstory definitely has time enough for them. In this carefully conceived and stunningly executed book, Aja Martinez demonstrates the worth of counterstory inflected with critical race theory and functioning as method, methodology, and liberating intervention. But more than merely illustrating efficacy, Martinez cogently articulates the necessity of her brand of counterstory if rhetoric and writing studies are ever to deal as productively as they can with race and racism. Counterstory, a notable emergence in a narrative lineage that includes Richard Delgado, Derrick Bell, and Patricia Williams, is a major achievement. - Keith Gilyard, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and African American Studies, Pennsylvania State University I found a home in Dr. Martinez's book, and I know that many scholars who have been fighting to speak their truth, to be heard, and to tell their stories without hedging or justification will find a home in this book too. By illustrating how counterstory functions as both methodology and method, and by demonstrating the connections between story, methodology, and embodied practice, Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory is a foundational text that I will incorporate into all my writing courses. Dr. Martinez combines honest, engaging stories with deep theoretical connections. She demonstrates how coalitional scholarship, particularly between Black and Latinx communities, has paved the way for a much-needed reframing of our field. - Laura Gonzales, University of Florida

"The fields of rhetoric and writing studies do not always have time for counterstory, but counterstory definitely has time enough for them. In this carefully conceived and stunningly executed book, Aja Martinez demonstrates the worth of counterstory inflected with critical race theory and functioning as method, methodology, and liberating intervention. But more than merely illustrating efficacy, Martinez cogently articulates the necessity of her brand of counterstory if rhetoric and writing studies are ever to deal as productively as they can with race and racism. Counterstory, a notable emergence in a narrative lineage that includes Richard Delgado, Derrick Bell, and Patricia Williams, is a major achievement."""" - Keith Gilyard, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and African American Studies, Pennsylvania State University """"I found a home in Dr. Martinez’s book, and I know that many scholars who have been fighting to speak their truth, to be heard, and to tell their stories without hedging or justification will find a home in this book too. By illustrating how counterstory functions as both methodology and method, and by demonstrating the connections between story, methodology, and embodied practice, Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory is a foundational text that I will incorporate into all my writing courses. Dr. Martinez combines honest, engaging stories with deep theoretical connections. She demonstrates how coalitional scholarship, particularly between Black and Latinx communities, has paved the way for a much-needed reframing of our field."""" - Laura Gonzales, University of Florida"

Author Information

Aja Martinez is assistant professor of writing and rhetoric at the University of North Texas. Martinez conducts research on and teaches a range of courses concerning rhetorics of race within both Western and non-Euro-Western contexts, and beginning, professional, and advanced writing courses. Martinez's work argues specifically that counterstory provides opportunities for other(ed) perspectives to contribute to conversations about narrative, dominant ideology, and their intersecting influence on curricular standards and institutional practices. Voices from the margins can become voices of authority through the formation of counterstories--stories that examine, document, and expose the persistence of racial oppression and other forms of subordination. Counterstory serves as a natural extension of inquiry for theorists whose research recognizes and incorporates lived and embodied experiences of marginalized peoples both in the United States and abroad. Martinez's scholarship has appeared in College English, Composition Studies, Peitho, and Rhetoric Review.

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