DOCSLIB.ORG

Excuse Me, Are You the Teacher?: the Experiences of Racialized Esol Teachers in Private-Language Schools in Toronto

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Excuse Me, Are You the Teacher?: the Experiences of Racialized Esol Teachers in Private-Language Schools in Toronto EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU THE TEACHER?: THE EXPERIENCES OF RACIALIZED ESOL TEACHERS IN PRIVATE-LANGUAGE SCHOOLS IN TORONTO by Vijay Anil Ramjattan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Vijay Anil Ramjattan 2014 EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU THE TEACHER?: THE EXPERIENCES OF RACIALIZED ESOL TEACHERS IN PRIVATE-LANGUAGE SCHOOLS IN TORONTO Master of Arts 2014 Vijay Anil Ramjattan Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education University of Toronto Abstract Like other service workers, racialized English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers in private- language schools are judged on their embodied traits, which are their (perceived) language proficiency and race, sometimes along with other social markers. Research has suggested that because they are not the ideal White, native-English-speaking instructor, racialized teachers usually experience awkward, confusing, and discriminatory encounters in their workplaces. These interactions are racial microaggressions because they send insulting messages to these teachers. Employing a critical race methodology, this study examines the microaggressions that 10 racialized teachers experience in various private ESOL schools in Toronto. Moreover, it looks at how these microaggressions impact the teachers’ professional identities. The findings highlight how the teachers experience a range of microaggressions that occasionally go beyond issues of language and race, all of which promote internal and external identity work. Furthermore, these findings provide the impetus to prevent microaggressions in the ESOL context. ii Acknowledgements No one can accomplish everything alone, and this thesis is certainly no exception. Indeed, even though my name appears as the sole author of this work, I am indebted to a wide array of individuals who have helped me in my thesis journey and must be properly acknowledged. First, I sincerely thank all 10 participants of this study, whose stories were the ultimate resource in answering my research questions. Each of you is like a piece of buried treasure: difficult to find, but greatly cherished when found. In fact, I came to admire all of you as individuals as you shared various aspects of your personal and professional lives with me. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours! In addition to the participants, I am grateful for the expert guidance provided by my thesis committee. To Dr. Kiran Mirchandani, my thesis supervisor, thank you very much for your sage advice and positive support all throughout this thesis journey. From suggesting theories and readings to informing me about various scholars and courses, you always seemed to be many steps of ahead of me in thinking what this thesis can accomplish. And for that, I am forever thankful. Along with Dr. Mirchandani, I wish to thank my second reader and one of my biggest supporters, Dr. Christine Connelly. Equally as grand as your intellect and overall knowledge base is your compassion and optimism. These qualities were certainly evident in your comments and suggestions in all stages of my thesis writing. I am forever thankful to you as well. Aside from my committee members, I also wish to thank the late Dr. Roxana Ng, Angela, Cathy, Loren, Stephanie, Rob, and Dr. Jamie Magnusson from the course entitled, “Decolonization and Transformative Education.” How fortunate I am to have met people like you who taught me how to begin to decolonize (in all senses of the word) in the academic realm and beyond. This thesis is inspired by your many insights, etc., and is hopefully just the beginning of my own decolonizing project. Another set of individuals who has inspired me is my VAC study group. To Alison (A) and Cristina (C), thank you very much for your genuine interest in my research, expert knowledge, and kindness. Amidst our ‘friendly conflicts’ over who was going to pay for coffee, I have come to greatly admire both you as not only amazing graduate students, but also, amazing individuals. iii For the numerous professors and peers that I have met at OISE and the rest of the University of Toronto, please note that I greatly appreciate all of your individual feedback, thoughts, etc., on my research. Furthermore, thank you very much to all of my family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who have helped me in various ways such as forwarding recruitment flyers on my behalf and simply being supportive of my research. In particular, I wish to thank my parents, Vishnu and Geeta as well as my sister, Venita for their love and various kinds of support throughout all stages of my research. Thank you very much for allowing me to pursue something in which I find great joy in doing. Even though I have spent the last two years living like a hermit in order to get this thesis done, the above acknowledgements showcase how the following study is truly a group effort. iv Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables and Appendices ................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: My Narrative as an Introduction to the Study ..................................................... 1 Background: English, Late Capitalism, & Canadian Private-Language Schools .......... 3 Purpose of the Study & Research Questions ............................................................... 10 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................. 11 Organization of the Remainder of the Thesis ............................................................... 12 Chapter Two: The Driving Forces Behind Racial Microaggressions in ESOL ........................... 13 Critical Race Theory and The Three Rs: Race, Racialization, and Racism ................. 13 The Three Rs and Native and ‘Nonnative’ Speakers of English ................................... 30 Embodiment in Service Work and the ESOL Industry .................................................. 57 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................... 68 Chapter Three: Understanding Racial Microaggressions and Their Impact on Teacher Identities ............................................................................................ 69 What Exactly are Racial Microaggressions? ................................................................. 69 Exploring Microaggressive Themes in the ESOL Literature ............................ 80 Institutional Racism against Racialized Teachers ............................... 80 Complaints and Struggles with Racialized Accents ............................ 83 Student Disappointment with Racialized Teachers ............................. 85 Open Challenges to Teachers’ Authority ............................................ 86 Student Avoidance ............................................................................. 87 Cases of Mistaken Identity and Questioning Teachers’ Backgrounds ...................................................................................... 88 Backhanded Compliments .................................................................. 90 (Teachers’ Professional) Identities, Interpellation, and Identity Work ........................... 91 The Effects of Racial Microaggressions on the Professional Identities of Racialized Teachers .................................................................................... 101 Racialized Teachers’ Professional Responses to Racial Microaggressions ............................................................................................ 103 Contributions of the Current Study to the Existing Literature ........................................ 105 Chapter Four: Methodology ...................................................................................................... 107 What is a Critical Race Methodology & Why is it Useful? ............................................. 107 Setting, Recruitment, and Participants .......................................................................... 113 Angelina .......................................................................................................... 116 Chao ................................................................................................................ 116 Chiyo ............................................................................................................... 117 Josh ................................................................................................................. 117 v Maria ............................................................................................................... 118 Meezy .............................................................................................................. 118 Q ...................................................................................................................... 119 Sharon ............................................................................................................. 119 Yun .................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Is Hip Hop Dead?
    IS HIP HOP DEAD? IS HIP HOP DEAD? THE PAST,PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF AMERICA’S MOST WANTED MUSIC Mickey Hess Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hess, Mickey, 1975- Is hip hop dead? : the past, present, and future of America’s most wanted music / Mickey Hess. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99461-7 (alk. paper) 1. Rap (Music)—History and criticism. I. Title. ML3531H47 2007 782.421649—dc22 2007020658 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright C 2007 by Mickey Hess All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007020658 ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99461-7 ISBN-10: 0-275-99461-9 First published in 2007 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10987654321 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii INTRODUCTION 1 1THE RAP CAREER 13 2THE RAP LIFE 43 3THE RAP PERSONA 69 4SAMPLING AND STEALING 89 5WHITE RAPPERS 109 6HIP HOP,WHITENESS, AND PARODY 135 CONCLUSION 159 NOTES 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY 179 INDEX 187 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The support of a Rider University Summer Fellowship helped me com- plete this book. I want to thank my colleagues in the Rider University English Department for their support of my work.
    [Show full text]
  • Bambauer-Macro-V2-Nov 28.Docx (Do Not Delete) 12/12/14 6:26 Pm
    BAMBAUER-MACRO-V2-NOV 28.DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 12/12/14 6:26 PM FOXES AND HEDGEHOGS IN TRANSITION DEREK E. BAMBAUER* INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 I. A FLATTER NETWORK ........................................................................... 2 II. UNIVERSAL SERVICE? .......................................................................... 7 III. THE CAST OF CHARACTERS .............................................................. 10 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 16 INTRODUCTION The migration from a congeries of communications protocols and technologies to an Internet Protocol-based system is an architectural shift of profound magnitude: it is as though people returned to the city of Babel, abandoning their native tongues for a single lingua franca. Perhaps, after this shift, nothing will be restrained from those who use the Internet.1 And yet, there will inevitably be problems that arise from the shift. Scholars and activists have already raised concerns about equal access to communications capabilities; about the security and resiliency of the new architecture; and about the tension between competing speech interests on the network. One way of thinking about these problems, and potential solutions, is to classify them as either hedgehogs or foxes. The British philosopher Isaiah Berlin suggested that intellectuals can be classified into these two camps, puckishly borrowing from the Greek
    [Show full text]
  • 3 Feet High and Rising”--De La Soul (1989) Added to the National Registry: 2010 Essay by Vikki Tobak (Guest Post)*
    “3 Feet High and Rising”--De La Soul (1989) Added to the National Registry: 2010 Essay by Vikki Tobak (guest post)* De La Soul For hip-hop, the late 1980’s was a tinderbox of possibility. The music had already raised its voice over tensions stemming from the “crack epidemic,” from Reagan-era politics, and an inner city community hit hard by failing policies of policing and an underfunded education system--a general energy rife with tension and desperation. From coast to coast, groundbreaking albums from Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” to N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” were expressing an unprecedented line of fire into American musical and political norms. The line was drawn and now the stage was set for an unparalleled time of creativity, righteousness and possibility in hip-hop. Enter De La Soul. De La Soul didn’t just open the door to the possibility of being different. They kicked it in. If the preceding generation took hip-hop from the park jams and revolutionary commentary to lay the foundation of a burgeoning hip-hop music industry, De La Soul was going to take that foundation and flip it. The kids on the outside who were a little different, dressed different and had a sense of humor and experimentation for days. In 1987, a trio from Long Island, NY--Kelvin “Posdnous” Mercer, Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Vincent “Maseo, P.A. Pasemaster Mase and Plug Three” Mason—were classmates at Amityville Memorial High in the “black belt” enclave of Long Island were dusting off their parents’ record collections and digging into the possibilities of rhyming over breaks like the Honey Drippers’ “Impeach the President” all the while immersing themselves in the imperfections and dust-laden loops and interludes of early funk and soul albums.
    [Show full text]
  • An Ethnography of Old Harbor and Ouzinkie, Alaska
    BLACK DUCKS AND SALMON BELLIES An Ethnography of Old Harbor and Ouzinkie, Alaska by Craig Mishler Technical Memorandum No. 7 A Report Produced for the U.S. Minerals Management Service Cooperative Agreement 14-35-0001-30788 March 2001 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence 333 Raspberry Road Anchorage, Alaska 99518 This report has been reviewed by the Minerals Management Service and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Service, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. ADA PUBLICATIONS STATEMENT The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates all of its public programs and activities free from discrimination on the basis of sex, color, race, religion, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. For information on alternative formats available for this and other department publications, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907- 465-4120, (TDD) 1-800-478-3548 or (fax) 907-586-6595. Any person who believes she or he has been discriminated against should write to: Alaska Department of Fish and Game PO Box 25526 Juneau, AK 99802-5526 or O.E.O. U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ...............................................................................................................................iii List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................iii
    [Show full text]
  • The Communications Frontier in Early New England. Katherine Grandjean
    154 Historical Journal of Massachusetts • Winter 2017 BOOK REVIEWS American Passage: The Communications Frontier in Early New England. Katherine Grandjean. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015. 312 pages. $24.99 (hardback) Since Fredrick Jackson Turner’s now-famous 1893 essay, historians have grappled with the significance of the frontier in American history. Katherine Grandjean joins that continuing conversation with her book, American Passage: The Communications Frontier in Early New England. Utilizing almost 3,000 letters which are part of the Winthrop Family Papers, primarily housed at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Grandjean argues that “communication, in the end, was an arm of colonization” (215). While her dataset is primarily these letters which date from 1635 to 1675, Grandjean’s analysis of communication extends beyond the content of the letters to the technology and the personnel—the logistics—of communication, including roads and waterways. Grandjean asks us to rethink some moments in early American history through the lens of communication. For example, her book opens with the two traders found dead in their boats which helped spark the Pequot War. Why, she wonders, would the deaths of these two men (who had questionable reputations) cause the war? In the early years of settlement in New England, traders were the lifeblood that kept the people who had moved beyond Boston connected with food, supplies, and letters/news. Without them, colonists in places like Connecticut would not be able to survive for long. “Because the violence threatened those who carried goods between the English colonies, it threatened all” (33). Once the war was over, colonists worked to make peace between the warring Mohegans and Narragansetts specifically to keep the land route between Boston and the outlying communities connected.
    [Show full text]
  • Schooltime Performance Series Beats, Rhymes and Tap Shoes
    teacher resource guide schooltime performance series beats, rhymes and tap shoes with Maurice Chestnut about the performance Explosive, rhythmic, soulful, and beautiful. Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People (JFYP) program. and Midnight Marauders. ATCQ’s debut was heralded Beats, Rhymes and Tap Shoes with Maurice Chestnut is For Lincoln Center’s JALCYO (Jazz at Lincoln Center as groundbreaking and revolutionary. They brought an innovative journey through tap dance, celebrating Youth Orchestra) programs, he is an instructor and a laid-back, playful element to rap while widening the the music of the seminal rap group A Tribe Called Quest. ensemble leader. For Jazz House Kids, a New Jersey vocabulary and emotional landscape that rappers Created by Newark, New Jersey native and dance community arts organization dedicated to educating could inhabit. They did not have a tough-guy image impresario Maurice Chestnut, and with musical direction children through jazz, he is also a drum instructor and compared to other groups and hip-hop artists at the by Jerome Jennings, this interactive performance highlights ensemble leader. At NJPAC, Jennings is a teen mentor, time. The group was having fun and didn’t seem to the jazz sampling that is part of A Tribe Called Quest’s ensemble coach and drum instructor. take themselves too seriously in songs like “I Left DNA. The performance by tap dancers and a live band As a drummer, he has performed at every major jazz My Wallet in El Segundo.” The group also brought will also explore the social issues of today, which are club in the New York City area: the Village Vanguard, in samples from jazz, R&B, and rock artists—like Lou present in the songs of this classic hip-hop unit.
    [Show full text]
  • Plugged out Tompkins Ave That Made Them Feel »Strictly Dan Stuckie«, in a World the Jungle Brothers D
    b/w reality chasing Mace (De La’s DJ/resident bear) on a push-scooter, takes an exasperated pause. He shakes his head under a thought bubble: »This video makes no sense.« But it did. Native Tongues had so much fun finishing each other’s thoughts, you sensed them in the studio even when they weren’t on the song. Tribe would burn through at least four different versions of »Scenario« while sorting out the final line-up. (These were hallowed spots.) »Buddy« invented the posse cut P L U G G E D O UT in the rapper’s cult of Me – beads on a string instead of gold rope narcissism. Often mistook for a heady granola rap commune, in the ›Golden Age‹ of Pub- lic Enemy’s and Boogie Down Production’s, the darker Native Tongue songs Dave Tompkins about crack addiction and incest occupy rap’s memory as much as »Bonita Ap- plebum.« Q-Tip’s conflicted »Sucka Nigga« could’ve had more on NWA than the FBI. Afrika Baby Bam of the Jungle Brothers coined the Native Tongue collecti- ve in the spirit of Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation and George Clinton’s Parliament- Funkadelic. The acknowledgments for Jungle Brothers’ second album – 1989’s »Done By the Forces of Nature« – read like the ultimate play list but was grou- ped according to time zones. Grouped according to time zones, Ultramagnetic is held solely responsible for The Future, a future where Kool Keith claimed his 1 3 4 he head of Chi-Ali is spinning. In fact, the entire chair of Chi-Ali is spin- voice could dim satellites.
    [Show full text]
  • Plugged out 2013
    Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft Dave Tompkins Plugged Out 2013 https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/2252 Veröffentlichungsversion / published version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Tompkins, Dave: Plugged Out. In: POP. Kultur und Kritik, Jg. 2 (2013), Nr. 1, S. 134– 137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/2252. Erstmalig hier erschienen / Initial publication here: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:6:3-20131111177 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under a Deposit License (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, non-transferable, individual, and limited right for using this persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses document. This document is solely intended for your personal, Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für non-commercial use. All copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute, or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document in public. dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke By using this particular document, you accept the conditions of vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder use stated above. anderweitig nutzen. Mit der Verwendung dieses Dokuments erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen an.
    [Show full text]
  • Phife Dawg" Taylor, Hip Hop Pioneer, Distinguished Citizen, and Devoted Member of His Commu- Nity
    LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor, hip hop pioneer, distinguished citizen, and devoted member of his commu- nity WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay trib- ute to the lives of individuals whose commitment and creative talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of their community and the entire State of New York; and WHEREAS, Malik Taylor, also known as "Phife Dawg", a legendary Ameri- can rapper, and co-founder of the seminal hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, died on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, at the age of 45; and WHEREAS, Born in Queens, New York, on November 20, 1970, Malik Isaac Taylor was of Trinidadian descent, and grew up in St. Albans where he began experimenting with music as a protege of the local Native Tongues Posse; currently there is a petition to rename St. Albans Park in his honor; and WHEREAS, In 1985, Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor formed A Tribe Called Quest with his childhood friend, Jonathan "Q-Tip" Davis, along with DJ and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White; and WHEREAS, After signing with Jive Records on the strength of their 1989 demo tape, Phife Dawg and A Tribe Called Quest would go on to sell millions of albums and record such classic hits as "Scenario," "Electric Relaxation," and "Bonita Applebum"; and WHEREAS, Known for their politically and socially conscious lyrics as well as the positive energy which could often be found in their songs, A Tribe Called Quest became one of the most beloved hip hop groups
    [Show full text]
  • I'm an African, Never Was an African-American": the Romanticization of Africa in American Hip Hop I'm a African, Never W
    K. Jeffery Leon 1 “I'm an African, Never was an African-American": The Romanticization of Africa in American Hip Hop I'm a African, never was an African-American Blacker than black I take it back to my origin … No I wasn't born in Ghana, but Africa is my momma And I did not end up here from bad karma – dead prez, “I’m A African” “The idea behind Black August is to facilitate the international cultural exchange between youth across the globe while supporting and promoting social consciousness and positive self- expression. What we got were a bunch of Yanks jerking off on the tits of Mother Africa.” – Niren Tolsi1 South Africa, August 2001. Against the backdrop of the United Nations’ World Conference Against Racism summit, several prominent hip-hop artists arrived in South Africa ready to perform a series of shows known as the Black August tour. The tour, hosted by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, was intended to bring awareness of Black political prisoners to audiences worldwide, as well as foster a cultural exchange of ideas and music. On the roster to perform were artists such as dead prez, Talib Kweli, Common, and Black Thought (emcee of The Roots), and they were primed to bring a fantastic show to South Africa. However, the tour imploded. The American rappers were seen by audiences as insulting and patronizing, “dispensing vague pieties about loving the motherland, and stamping across the stage to lecture the crowd about racism and reparations in the United States” (Chang 449). South African critics had a field day, as evident by the opening quote from Niren Tolsi.
    [Show full text]
  • Tongues in Corinth - the Case for Human Languages: a Study of Corinthians 12-14
    Avondale College ResearchOnline@Avondale Theses Masters Research Theses 12-2010 Tongues in Corinth - The Case for Human Languages: A Study of Corinthians 12-14 Lynn Burton Avondale College Follow this and additional works at: https://research.avondale.edu.au/theses_masters_research Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Burton, L. (2010). Tongues in Corinth - The case for human languages: A study of Corinthians 12-14 (Master's thesis, Avondale College, Cooranbong, Australia). Retrieved from https://research.avondale.edu.au/theses_masters_research/3/ This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at ResearchOnline@Avondale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Masters Research by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@Avondale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Avondale College of Higher Education TONGUES IN CORINTH - THE CASE FOR HUMAN LANGUAGES: A STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 12-14. A Dissertation Presented in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Theology (Research). by Lynn Burton December 2011 ―I certify that this dissertation is my own work and is free from plagiarism. I understand that the dissertation may be checked for plagiarism by electronic or other means. The dissertation has not previously been submitted for assessment in any other subject or institution.‖ SIGNED________________________________ iii ABSTRACT This treatise supports the historical view that the tongues phenomenon in 1 Cor 14 is identical to that in Acts 2. Hence, it argues that the tongues referred to in 1 Corinthians are known human languages and not angel speech, riddles, ecstatic irrational utterances or groans. In addition, it contends that this gift was meant to be used for an evangelism that would build up the church.
    [Show full text]
  • Go Ahead in the Rain: Toolkit Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib
    A Choose to Read Ohio Go Ahead in the Rain: Toolkit Notes to A Tribe Called Quest By Hanif Abdurraqib Use this toolkit to plan book About the Book discussion groups or library programs. The first chronicle of A Tribe Called Quest—the visionary, award-winning group whose jazz- Meet Ohio author infused records and socially conscious lyrics Hanif Abdurraqib revolutionized rap in the early 1990s. and learn about his works. How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? The seminal rap group brought jazz into Select from a range the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to of discussion create masterpieces such as “The Low End questions and Theory” and “Midnight Marauders.” Seventeen extension activities years after their last album, they resurrected to deepen the themselves with an intense, socially conscious record, We Got It from Here . Thank You 4 Your experience of Service, which arrived when fans needed it reading and most, in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Poet sharing Go Ahead and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib digs into the in the Rain. group’s history and draws from his own experience to reflect on how its distinctive sound Discover websites Permission to use book jacket image and book resonated among fans like himself. The result is description granted by University of Texas Press . and informational as ambitious and genre-bending as the rap texts to explore group itself. topics and themes in depth. Abdurraqib traces the Tribe’s creative career, from their early days as part of the Afrocentric rap collective known as the Native Tongues, through their first three classic albums, to their eventual breakup and long hiatus.
    [Show full text]