Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Department of Applied Linguistics and English Language Dissertations as a Second Language 12-18-2014 Language, literacy, and funds of knowledge: Somali refugee women in Clarkston, Georgia Cassie Leymarie Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/alesl_diss Recommended Citation Leymarie, Cassie, "Language, literacy, and funds of knowledge: Somali refugee women in Clarkston, Georgia." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2014. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/alesl_diss/32 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. LANGUAGE LITERACY AND FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE: SOMALI REFUGEE WOMEN IN CLARKSTON, GEORGIA by CASSIE D. LEYMARIE Under the Direction of Gayle Nelson & Eric Friginal ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate how Somali refugee women experience language and literacy in their community of Clarkston, Georgia, and to identify their funds of knowledge (Gonzales, Moll, & Amanti, 2005), or unseen practices. The aim of this investigation is to strengthen and challenge their current modes of language socialization and to combat negative discourses that represent them as ‘vulnerable victims and cunning crooks’ (Horst, 2006). Clarkston, Georgia was chosen by private resettlement agencies as a refugee resettlement site in the early 1990s. In Clarkston, although there are several refugee serving agencies that focus on refugee education and integration, many Somali refugee women are still facing obstacles during the process of language socialization.