Conscientization Through the Context of a Book Club: Adults’
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CONSCIENTIZATION THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF A BOOK CLUB: ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES OF CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING by RACHEL M. CASSITY (Under the Direction of Aliki Nicolaides) ABSTRACT Adults participate in a variety of activities that foster consciousness-raising. Book clubs are popular social settings through which adults can engage in casual, yet intellectually- stimulating dialogue with other individuals. However, since they are often considered informal and inconsequential venues where adults engage with literature and interact with one another through discussions, research about adult participation in book clubs remains scarce. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand the lived experiences of consciousness-raising for adults through the context of book clubs. This hermeneutic phenomenological study analyzed in-depth interviews of seven study participants to illustrate adults’ experiences of consciousness-raising within the contexts of their book clubs. The results revealed three dimensions of the phenomenon: 1) Literature exposes participants to other lives; 2) Dialogue encourages engagement in discussion and communication of perspectives; and 3) Book clubs reflect characteristics of holding environments. Based on the study’s findings it was concluded that (a) book clubs are intentional, bounded spaces that function somewhere between communities of interest and communities of practice; (b) book clubs are valuable contexts for researching consciousness-raising because they present similar characteristics to holding environments and they facilitate reflection and dialogue, all of which help foster consciousness- raising experiences; and (c) consciousness-raising in a book club raises questions about how adults view learning, which is particularly significant in regard to andragogical approaches for adult educators. INDEX WORDS: Book clubs, Reading groups, Collective reading, Adult education, Consciousness-raising, Phenomenology CONSCIENTIZATION THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF A BOOK CLUB: ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES OF CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING by RACHEL M. CASSITY B.A., Flagler College, 2005 M.A., East Tennessee State University, 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2016 © 2016 Rachel M. Cassity All Rights Reserved CONSCIENTIZATION THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF A BOOK CLUB: ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES OF CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING by RACHEL M. CASSITY Major Professor: Aliki Nicolaides Committee: Melissa Freeman Tom Valentine Karen Watkins Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2016 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Chad, who has been a constant source of love and support throughout this entire process. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and profound encouragement. Thank you for comforting me when I was overwhelmed or frustrated. Thank you for pushing me when I doubted my abilities. And, thank you for always celebrating my successes and accomplishments. Without you, none of this would have been possible. I also dedicate this dissertation to my children, Abram, Kaylee, and Rylee, who inspired me to always keep learning and set a strong example. Finally, but certainly not least of all, this work is dedicated to my parents, Joe and Teresa. You are my role models and my biggest fans. Without your strength, work ethic, and unconditional love and support, I would not be where I am today. Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best, setting high expectations, and singing my praises to all who would listen. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my family for all the sacrifices they made so I could pursue my educational goals. Thank you to my husband, Chad, my children, my parents, and the many other members of my family for motivating and reassuring me every step of the way. I appreciate and value your optimism, admiration, and encouragement more than you will ever know. A special thank you to the individuals who agreed to participate in this study. I truly appreciate your willingness to share your insights and experiences with me. Thank you for being flexible and understanding as I conducted interviews while also juggling a newborn. You provided me with an enlightening glimpse into the world of book clubs. I also want to express my gratitude to each of my committee members for the roles they played, individually and collectively, in helping me complete my research. I am so thankful for having met Dr. Aliki Nicolaides in the beginning of my journey and having her as my major professor, my mentor, and my friend the entire way. Thank you for providing the right challenges and supports exactly when I needed them. To Dr. Melissa Freeman, I appreciate your gentle encouragement, your wisdom, and your nurturing spirit more than words can express. To Dr. Tom Valentine and Dr. Karen Watkins, I am grateful to have learned so much from you as professors and committee members. It was an honor to work with such prominent members of our field. Thank you all for your expertise, your humor, your patience, and your guidance. Most of all, thank you for helping me become a scholar. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Background of the Problem .....................................................................................1 History of Book Clubs .............................................................................................2 Critical Consciousness .............................................................................................3 Holding Environment...............................................................................................4 Critical Dialogue in Nonformal and Informal Learning Contexts ...........................5 Existing Book Club Research ..................................................................................5 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................6 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................7 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...............................................................................9 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................10 Book Clubs in Scholarship.....................................................................................11 Existing Research..............................................................................................12 History of Book Clubs ...........................................................................................13 Women and Reading .........................................................................................14 vii Chautauqua .......................................................................................................15 Book Clubs in the Present ......................................................................................17 Reading in the United States ..................................................................................18 What is a Holding Environment? ...........................................................................19 Similarities Between Book Clubs and Holding Environments ..............................21 Teaming ............................................................................................................24 Engaging in Collegial Inquiry ...........................................................................27 Providing Adults with Leadership Roles ..........................................................28 Mentoring ..........................................................................................................30 Conscientization and Reading................................................................................33 Critical Dialogue ....................................................................................................35 Summary ................................................................................................................37 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................40 Design of the Study ................................................................................................40 Theoretical Orientation ..........................................................................................41 Overview of Interpretive Phenomenology .............................................................42 Philosophical Foundations of Interpretive Phenomenology ..................................43 Core Concepts of Interpretive Phenomenology .....................................................43 Hermeneutic Phenomenological Methodology......................................................47 Participant Selection ..............................................................................................49