Disrupting Protestant Dominion

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the presence of diverse religious images in public spaces and mainstream media’s treatment of persons who see divine religious images in ordinary objects or venues. The group of middle school children who figure prominently in our story resisted dominant Protestant hegemony. Instead, they embraced the possibilities for religious pluralism and hybridity as part of their English Language Arts classroom discussions. Corresponding with the tacit social caste system privileging the religion of the dominant sociocultural group in the state, already introduced, the preservice teachers’ stances positioned non-Protestant groups as being deviant to mainstream religious norms. Providing space for religion in literacy instruction offers a holistic approach to education that affirms the diverse backgrounds of children, including those from traditionally marginalized communities. The critical conversation Allison guided highlights that the children recognized the existence of many religions. Many of the sixth graders recognized the personal significance that seeing a religious figure holds for some people.