Super heroes, villains, and politics: Elementary youth superhero narratives in an afterschool program
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the superhero genre, when couched in a space and project that seek to act as a counter-world and is rooted in the life experiences of youth, can allow Latinx elementary school students the opportunity to create counter-stories. Such stories facilitated the process of creating “critical hope” in relation to oppressive political discourses.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative study conducted at an afterschool club in the Western USA. Using the superhero genre, elementary school students, grades third-fifth, participated in a project in which they created superhero and villain narratives set in their community.
Findings
The authors found that the superhero genre supported some Latinx students to develop counter-stories that engaged with and resisted the heightened xenophobic and racist discourse appropriated by then US presidential candidate Donald Trump in the context of the 2016 presidential campaign. These counter-stories allowed youth to engage in critical hope to imagine a better, more just world.
Originality/value
In a time when young Latinx students are continually subjected to racism and xenophobia promoted by political figures and taken up by popular media and the general public, it is necessary to support students in creating counter-stories and critical hope that push back against oppression. Findings suggest that the superhero genre can support Latinx students to discuss, dismantle and counter hateful discourses while striving for hope.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are very grateful for the feedback and immense support from wonderful advisors, Susan Jurow (director of EPIC), Patricia Enciso and Elizabeth Dutro. Additionally, the authors thank Wendy Glenn, Melissa Braaten, David Low, Astrid N. Sambolin Morales for their valuable contributions to this work. This research was also supported by our wonderful EPIC team of researchers and collaborators. Also, thank you to the reviewers who kindly supported us as well. Lastly, the first author would love to thank his father for sacrificing the best years of his life so that he could become the person and scholar he is today. The second author would also love to thank her family and loved ones.
Citation
Torres, F.L. and Tayne, K. (2017), "Super heroes, villains, and politics: Elementary youth superhero narratives in an afterschool program", English Teaching: Practice & Critique, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 375-390. https://doi.org/10.1108/ETPC-05-2017-0080
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited