Facing the Other: Language and Identity in Multicultural Literature Reading Groups

Abstract

ABSTRACT The reactions of learners who read literature together in multicultural groups shed light on how their interpretations are interweaved in the sociopolitical context. The present study describes such dynamics in mixed Arab-Jewish teacher groups in Israel. The study’s raw data were group discourse transcripts, group and individual written comments and interviews. These data were analyzed using qualitative approaches with reference to Levinas’ ethical approach to the Other. The findings suggest that despite willingness to talk and share feelings on various issues, the participants find it difficult to see the Others, and acknowledge responsibility for them. Minority political opinions are silenced or blurred in the group discourse, and excluded from the group texts to avoid public disputes, but they resurface in the individual writings. The findings are significant for understanding learning/teaching processes in academic multicultural contexts and call lecturers’ attention to the complexity of ethical reading in a conflictual reality.