Marginal Syllabus (May)—Performative Youth: The Literacy Possibilities of De-essentializing Adolescence

What is possible when youth are asked to engage in the discourse about what is meant by “adolescence”? Our May reading for Marginal Syllabus describes what happens when educators and youth partner together to explore historically situated views of adolescence. This article by Sophia Sarigianides details the ways in which one educator helped familiarize students with the genealogy of adolescence, understand the ways that discourses around adolescents/adolescence function in the world, question the implications of these discourses for themselves and their peers, and explore the possibilities for performance and taking action.

Guests

• Sophia Tatiana Sarigianides, Professor & Coordinator of Secondary English, Westfield State University
• Cherise McBride, Ph.D. Student, University of California, Berkeley
• Christina Cantrill, Associate Director of National Programs, National Writing Project
• Remi Kalir, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado at Denver; Co-Founder, Marginal Syllabus

Related Links

• "Performative Youth: The Literacy Possibilities of De-essentializing Adolescence"