Nuestros Refranes: Culturally Relevant Writing in Tucson High Schools

Authors

Cruz Medina, Santa Clara UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2013

Publisher

New Community Press

Abstract

Colonial narratives often characterize Latin@ culture and students as deficient with regard to education. These narratives persist through legislation like Arizona’s House Bill 2281, which outlawed the culturally relevant curriculum of Tucson High School’s Mexican American Studies program. This article argues that culturally relevant student writing that responds to a prompt about dichos or proverbial sayings in Spanish, illustrate rhetorical strategies of subversive complicity when analyzed through a decolonial framework. Written by students at multiple Tucson High schools during the controversy surrounding HB 2281, the student publication, Nuestros Refranes, serves as the site of analysis that demonstrates how students navigate institutions governed by subjugating policy.

Comments

Copyright © 2013 New City Community Press. Reprinted with permission.

Recommended Citation

Medina, C. (2013) Nuestros Refranes: Culturally Relevant Writing in Tucson High Schools. Reflections: A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic Writing, and Service Learning. 12(3), 52-79.