Tactics of Hope: The Public Turn in English Composition

Abstract

Mathieu identifies at least four different ways by which composition has "gone public": 1 through courses that examine the complex nature of the public sphere and ask students to make their own writing publicly available, oftentimes on the web; 2 through writing classes that bring civic matters into the classroom by having students engage with local controversies; 3 through service learning and community literacy initiatives; and 4 through ethnographic research on literacy practices and other projects that similarly envision a public role for university intellectuals. The remainder of the book explores this argument by examining several such hopeful "imaginative acts and projects," including classes and writing projects grounded in Mathieu's work as a composition specialist and community activist who has participated in the international street newspaper movement, which addresses the issues of homelessness and poverty by creating publications that provide a forum and income for individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.