Overview

Drawing on two years of ethnographic research mixed with archival work, Immigrants, Brokers, and Literacy as Affinity explores literacy’s entanglement in networks of economic and political forces. Mihut proposes and theorizes the figure of the literacy broker, embodied by those who help immigrants with reading and writing as they cross national, cultural, and linguistic borders. Whether these brokers use personal stories, language of empathy, or social connections, they collectively develop an emotional discourse repertoire that Mihut has coined as literacy as affinity. As such, literacy as affinity is explored in various locales where unequal power dynamics may emerge: local communities, schools, libraires, workplaces, or homes. Literacy brokers are intermediaries, advocating for those, who based on their economic, national, or political identity find themselves reaching for the American dream.

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9780822967712

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Reviews

Ligia Mihut's book foregrounds affective work in immigrant literacy practice through such concepts as 'literacy as affinity' and 'co-brokering.' Both a historical and an ethnographic study, the book is a timely contribution to transnational writing studies as we seek ethical approaches to understanding migration amidst environmental and political crises.--Xiaoye You, Pennsylvania State University

Ligia Mihut’s book foregrounds affective work in immigrant literacy practice through such concepts as ‘literacy as affinity’ and ‘co-brokering.’ Both a historical and an ethnographic study, the book is a timely contribution to transnational writing studies as we seek ethical approaches to understanding migration amidst environmental and political crises. -- Xiaoye You, Pennsylvania State University

Author Information

Ligia A. Mihut is associate professor in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Miami. Her areas of research include transnational literacies, community-based research, emergent technologies, and emotion studies. Her work has been published in College Composition and Communication, Literacy in Composition Studies, Reflections, and several edited collections.

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