African American women instructors: In a net

Abstract

Many academics ore beginning to reveal themselves as “working class” as they struggle with integrating their pasts into their work in the academy. This essay attempts to offer insights into the electronic net as it is encountered by professional women instructors of color and to suggest new directions for research on the influence of socioeconomic class and culture on composition instructors. I use a qualitative “deep case study” approach, relying on interviews of three African American women English educators who have recently entered the profession. They address such questions as: How has technology been a part of your life? How is it affecting your position within the classroom and academy? How did you overcome resistance, lack of access, and lack of knowledge? I attempt to demonstrate that although recognition and acceptance of class and cultural difference is fundamental to literacy education, these are often overlooked in the lives of instructors themselves.