Assembled Identities and Intersectional Advocacy in Literacy Research

Abstract

In this article, I present an overview of intersectionality, and its critiques as well as make visible how it is enacted in elementary school classrooms. I focus primarily on issues of gender expression, sexuality, and family diversity as a way of centering the role of advocacy in our work as teachers and researchers. Many language arts teachers, especially those in bilingual and multicultural settings, already practice inclusivity with students who bring diversity of languages and literacies to the classroom. Expanding these practices to include attention to gender expression, sexuality, and family diversity is an example of how an intersectional lens builds upon what most teachers are already doing—creating classrooms that explicitly reflect the intersectional identities of students. I conclude with a focus on how elementary school teachers can draw from students’ multiple identities and develop intersectional advocacy in their classrooms and schools.