Cosmopolitanism as transnational literacy: putting Spivak to work

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent rapid increase in the number of Australians of Asian backgrounds has significantly altered the demographic mosaic in schools. This has major ramifications for Australian classrooms with regards to the transnational exchanges now ubiquitous. In response, this paper proposes a view of cosmopolitanism as “transnational literacy” as enunciated by Spivak. It draws on a pedagogical intervention that explored the emerging spaces of the Australian classroom as they negotiate their complex relationship with Asia. This intervention sought to elicit responses from 20 students, predominantly from Asian backgrounds, in an all-girls selective secondary school. Interviews were conducted with 10 of these students; group discussions were audio-recorded; and written responses were gathered before and after the course. Several key themes emerged from their responses. First, students reported difficulty negotiating norms of Australian-ness. Second, they identified nation-centric narratives as key sources of feelings of exclusion. Finally, many reported changes in their epistemic constructions of themselves and of others after contesting these norms. As a result of thinking with Spivak, this paper suggests a view of cosmopolitanism that highlights the importance of our learning to become implied readers of culturally different texts in ways that generate ethical sensibilities towards spaces of intercultural exchange.