presentation 2
TRANSCRIPT
WHAT IS A “LOCAL” CONTEXT?
• Is it defined in miles from your current place of
residence?
• Defined by hometown?
• How “local” is local enough?
F O R M Y P U R P O S E S , “ L O C A L ” M E A N S T H E E N T I R E E A S T T E X A S
R E G I O N ; F R O M M Y H O M E T O W N O F T Y L E R T O M Y C U R R E N T R E S I D E N C E
I N C O M M E R C E
From my own investigations with Carol Kammen’s On
Doing Local History and discussing with my
classmates, I have concluded that “local” is defined as ones’
own immediate region
T HER E A R E EXA MPLES OF T HIS A LL A R OU ND T HE EA ST T EXA S
A R EA , ONE OF T HEM BEING BRIÄNNA BEARD
The local context is a main focus for my project, in which I
investigate the effect of anonymity and pseudonyms on
literacy.
- Home Educated student from
Tyler, Texas
- High school junior
- Writer
- Artist
- Videographer
- Aspiring film student at UCLA
I asked Briänna a series of questions, adopted from Deborah Brandt’s interview script, to get a better sense of how anonymity factored into her
posted and published work.
“ M Y M O T H E R H E L P E D M E L E A R N T O R E A D , B U T I ’ V E B E E N M A K I N G U P S T O R I E S
A N D D R AW I N G S I N C E I C O U L D TA L K / G R A S P A C R AY O N ”
“ M Y F AT H E R W O U L D T E L L [ M E S M E R I Z I N G ] S T O R I E S B E F O R E I W E N T T O S L E E P N E A R LY
E V E R Y N I G H T, A N D W O U L D E N C O U R A G E M E T O W R I T E M Y O W N S T O R I E S ( W H I C H I D I D
Q U I T E H A P P I LY ) . ”
WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF WRITING FOR A PUBLIC AUDIENCE?
“When I was twelve, I sent
a story in to Sparknotes
detailing how to survive
the hospital waiting room
for a contest, and they
published it [under a
screen name].”
“MOST LIKELY YES .”
Do you think you would have published/shown the
same material under your own name in the age of
social networking/ Google etc.?
I W O U L D H AV E T H O U G H T A N O N Y M I T Y W O U L D C H A N G E B O T H T E X T A N D
D E L I V E R Y, A S O U R P U B L I C L I V E S A R E G E N E R A L LY D I F F E R E N T F R O M O U R P R I VAT E
O N E S .
Public
Private
AND THAT STILL MIGHT SHOW IN LATER RESEARCH…
But, as I can see with Briänna, it is not always the case.
As an ethnographic researcher, I need to be open to possibilities outside my
original hypothesis.
I also forgot an important point in a article by Barton and Hamilton; that “there are different literacies associated with different domains of
life.” (pg. 22)
My interview participant was 12 when she wrote her article anonymously, and probably did not
have the adult inclination to hide personal details from others if a name is attached to those details.
I H AV E L E A R N E D T O C O N S I D E R M A N Y FA C T O R S A F T E R I N T E RV I E W I N G B R I Ä N N A :
Subject matter. Personal subject matter would probably be
portrayed differently based on anonymous/ full name status.
Audience. My interview participant wrote for a worldwide
audience instead of a local one. Having a local audience may influence
what one writes, as there’s an increased chance of a friend or family
member reading the writings.
T H E S E A R E A L L I M P O R T A N T T H I N G S T O
K E E P I N M I N D A S I M OV E F O RWA R D
I do not consider an answer that goes against my
hypothesis a failure (live and learn) but an
experience to help me embrace everything my
research shows and include it all in condensed form
for my final project.
I hope you have enjoyed this presentation and will continue to follow my research efforts as
I get closer and closer to presenting my final project!
Works Cited
Barton, David and Hamilton, Mary. “Literacy Practices.” Ethnographic Inquiries in Writing. 1st edition. Tabetha Adkins. Southlake, Texas. Fountainhead Press, 2010. 21-32. Print.
Kammen, Carol. On Doing Local History. Walnut Creek, Canada: AltaMira Press. 2003. 11-178. Print.
Beard, Briänna. Personal interview. 18 Oct. 2011.
Brandt, Deborah. “Literacy, Opportunity, and Economic Change.” Ethnographic Inquiries In Writing. 1st edition. Tabetha Adkins. Southlake, Texas. Fountainhead Press, 2010. 54-87. Print.