Call for Papers

Democracis, y Libertad, pero para Quien!/Democracy and Freedom, but for Whom?
Spring 2009

Perhaps no current cultural issue puts pressure on the definition of community as does immigration. In the midst of contentious political and cultural debate, however, university/neighborhood alliances have developed models that help build local support and educational access for a variety of immigrant populations. To succeed, these alliances have had to take into account the immediate environments in which they exist as well as state and national legislative actions. In the process, they have built programs that offer an inclusive and multi-lingual definition of community. Even as we see different communities identify needs and strengths of immigrants and form working alliances to support one another, there are also tensions on account of cultural, linguistic, religious, legal, financial, and other factors. How are educators, community literacy researchers, and service learning programs approaching these issues? The spring 2009 issues of Reflections will be devoted to exploring emerging questions, problems, understandings, and methodological issues that arise when we think of community in relation to immigration.

We invite manuscripts, narratives , artwork and photographs that consider and engage with how university/community partnerships can engage with ÒimmigrationÓ not just in terms of legal and political acceptance within the United States, but also larger questions of cultural and communal identity. Contributions may consider the following questions:

What is the role of service-learning pedagogy in ensuring that political concerns of immigrant populations are taken up in the classroom?

How can community/university partnerships promote literacy for immigrants?

What is the role of a community/university partnership in creating a bridge between local/national advocacy groups and immigrant students within the university?

How can community/university partnerships ensure that immigrants are afforded legal rights?

How can literacy programs serve purposes beyond simply literacy building?

How can community/university partnerships impact the lack of heath care, safe and equitable employment, and social services that have come to define the immigrant experience?

How is community formulated in surroundings where politicians and mainstream media are creating a Òfear of the other,Ó in general, and a fear of the growth of ÒBrown people,Ó in particular?

How can we work with immigrant communities in a way that meets their needs and enhances our scholarship without interrupting their sense of communal identity?

We seek papers of 20-25 pages that take up these prevalent issues and how community partnerships can create an intersectionality of the issues, both inside and outside of the classroom. We are also seeking artwork and photographs whose visual rhetoric demonstrates the importance and immediacy of these issues. Manuscripts should follow MLA guidelines and should include a 75-100 abstract. Please send inquiries to Steve Parks (sjparks@syr.edu) by December 1, 2008.