The Writing Center as "Purified Space": Competing Discourses and the Dangers of Definition

Abstract

Petits article is a unique and interesting read, as it outlines and portrays one writing center directors struggle with and through breaking away from the current-traditional theories and practices, and re-defining her center with pedagogy from a more liberatory, expressionist, and social constructivist approach. She includes the personal reflections of her tutors, with whom she collaborated in this reformation process, and relates to readers the thought processes and decisions she made in order to cement the foundation of her new writing center theory and practice. She cites Pratts use of utopic-dystopic metaphor to describe the centers struggle to define the boundaries within which this new collaborative center would operate. She describes the center as a work in progress, which admirably combines continual negotiation and reflection on services and purpose. The article highlights several points of contention faced by writing centers today, but also demonstrates the battle that directors chose to begin waging ten years ago that has brought about the revision in writing center theory and practice that is prevalent today. BC