Kristin DeMint Bailey, An Ha, & Anthony J. Outlar
Volume 5
Chapter Description
In this chapter, a community college writing professor and two of her first-year writing students collaboratively address the issue of Whiteness in academic writing. Specifically, we challenge the notion that academic language is neutral as well as the expectation that all academic writers should strive for uniformity. We question notions of correctness and clarity, adopting Jacqueline Jones Royster’s definition of voice as “the power and authority to speak and make meaning” (31), and we challenge students to ask hard questions about language, identity, and power. We explain the inextricable bonds between language and community, examine the connections between language and racial identity, and explore the political nature of language, all of which affect a person’s voice as Royster has defined it. Then, the two of us who are students share our experiences with writing for school, reflecting on what we’ve learned both in and out of school about our language and our voice. Together, we invite students to reflect on their own voice in academic writing, asking themselves, “Whose voice do I hear in my writing, and why? What does this voice reveal about my identity as a writer, and how do I feel about what I uncover? What might I want to do more or differently?”
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