Critical Literacy among the Working Poor

Critical literacy is akin to a sociological imagination as it involves the ability to distinguish between private troubles and public issues and the competency to use such distinctions to facilitate and engage in social change. This article is a case study of low-income rural Whites' personal interpretations of health and income inequalities with a concern for understanding the potential effectiveness of a community action program (CAP) designed to enhance their critical literacy. Findings reveal that low-income rural Whites predominantly use ideologies of individualism to interpret the inequalities experienced by others, they employ a pseudostructural level analysis tempered by individualism to interpret their experience of health and income inequalities, and they respond collectively along racial and national lines when considering overall inequalities. Based on these findings, I provide suggestions on how CAPs can more effectively elevate the critical literacy of low-income rural Whites

Ideology · Individualism · Inequality · Literacy · Narrative · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Social inequality · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Gender Studies · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Service-Learning and Community Engagement

• White Privilege, White Poverty

  Open Access•Erika Blacksher, Sean A Valle et al.•The Hastings Center Report•2021

  Añadir item

• Introduction to Community Empowerment, Participatory Education, and Health

  Open Access•Nina Wallerstein, Edward Bernstein•Health Education Quarterly•1994

  Añadir item

• “I Am Not a Racist But…”

  Open Access•Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Tyrone A Forman•Discourse & Society•2000

  Añadir item

• Man Works From Sun to Sun, but Woman's Work Is Never Done

  Afaf I Meleis, Teri Lindgren et al.•Health Care For Women International•2002

  Añadir item

• The Sociological Imagination

  C W Mills•The Mississippi Valley Historical…•1959

  Añadir item

• Health and illness. The lay perspective

  Kate Thomas•Journal of Epidemiology and…•1988

  Añadir item

• Individualisation and inequalities in health

  Open Access•Bruce Bolam, Simon Murphy et al.•Social Science & Medicine•2004

  Añadir item

• Whose fault is it? People's own conceptions of the reasons for health inequalities

  Open Access•Mildred Blaxter•Social Science & Medicine•1997

  Añadir item

• Whose Side Are We On

  Howard S Becker•Social Problems•1967

  Añadir item

• The Linguistics of Color Blind Racism

  Open Access•Eduardo Bonilla-Silva•Critical Sociology•2002

  Añadir item

• Volunteering

  John F Wilson, John Wilson•Annual Review of Sociology•2000

  Añadir item

• Women's Voices

  Open Access•Barbara Wells•Rural Sociology•2002

  Añadir item

• Beyond 'beer, fags, egg and chips'? Exploring lay understandings of social inequalities in health

  Open Access•Jennie Popay, Sharon Bennett et al.•Sociology of Health & Illness•2003

  Añadir item

• The determinants of health

  Open Access•Gareth H Williams, Gareth Williams•Sociology of Health & Illness•2003

  Añadir item

• Lay experiences of health and illness

  Open Access•Lawton Julia•Sociology of Health & Illness•2003

  Añadir item