The story I’m reading – The story the other is reading
Submitted by:
Yael Poyas
Abstract:
The story I 'm reading, the story the other is reading
Proposal for a round table
Yael Poyas & Ilana Elkad-Lehman
Our aim is to generate a discussion of literary reading processes in a multi-cultural society, which is challenged by a constant, deep conflict: The case of Israel.
Our two studies were carried out in two academic M.Ed. programs in Israel and focused on courses offering joint readings of different literary pieces, some of which deal with the Israeli Jewish-Arabic conflict.
The researched groups (n1=7; 1 Arab, 6 Jews. n2=14; 3 Arabs, 14 Jews) read texts which confronted the teachers with their former knowledge regarding the Jewish/ Arab conflict, and their stances towards it.
The data were teachers' written responses and assignments, documented discussions from the groups' meetings and interviews with some of the teachers. Analysis was performed in order to (a) identify participants' stories and unique voices, and (b) characterize the stories and story-tellers.
The findings will be described from the point of view of a college lecturer and that of graduate students. Findings regarding the tension between the overt and covert, participation and avoidance in a literary discourse taking place in an academic context within a conflict-filled society will be presented. The term reading ˜minor literature" will be suggested as a natural continuation of the term writing "minor literature" (Deleuze, & Guattari, 1986). This will lead to a discussion of similar teaching situations in similar geographical and political spaces.
References
Deleuze, G. & Guattari, F. (1986). Kafka: Towards a Minor Literature. Trans. Dana Polan. Theory and History of Literature 30. Minneapolis and London.