Applying Social Movement Theories to Foster Critical Media and Civil Literacy in Adult Education

Author

Elizabeth A. Roumell

Year

2020

Publisher

Dialogues in social justice

DOI/Link

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Abstract

One need not look far to observe that the political discourse is highly polarized.
The literature on activism and adult learning is eclectic and draws on several broad
traditions of education and social theory. The purpose of this paper is to trouble
the polarization of political rhetoric and how it takes away from healthy political
dialogue in civic society, and to explore some understandings offered in social and
political movement theory as analytical tools for critical media and civic literacy.
Through the exploration of social movement theories beyond academic literature,
we can model how to apply various theoretical understandings to current world
events occurring around us, how to identify and critically think about the framing
of political and social issues, and how to recognize the types of collective identities
that are being performed and promoted. We can resist these polarizations through
thoughtful questioning, social imagination, and real discursive political agency.

Keywords

Media Literacy, Social Media Literacy

Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

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