Teaching and Testimony

Allen Carey-Webb is Assistant Professor of English Education at Western Michigan University Stephen Benz is Assistant Professor of English at Barry University. He is the author of Guatemalan Journey, an account of his two years as a Fulbright Scholar in Guatemala.

"This is one of the more engaging books of its kind—that I have read. Not only will the readership glean fascinating and unique insights into an eclectic number of topics (value of testimony, authenticity of voice and testimony, complexity of culture, deprivation of human rights, U. S. role in the deprivation of human rights, feminism, student resistance to reading a testimony of this nature, etc.), but also numerous and invaluable pedagogical strategies. A particular strength of the volume is that the authors share with the reader their frustrations, the barriers they faced, some of their failures, and lessons learned during their attempt to teach the work, and resounding successes. The struggle and breakthroughs are enlightening!" — Samuel Totten, University of Arkansas

• INTRODUCTION 1. Transformative VoicesAllen Carey-Webb 2. Culture Shock and I, Rigoberta MenchúStephen BenzCONTROVERSIAL FIGURE 3. From Peasant to National SymbolArturo Arias 4. Why Dinesh D'Souza Has It in for Rigoberta MenchúGene H. Bell-VilladaTEACHING THE LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT 5. Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú: Autoethnography and the Recoding of CitizenshipMary Louise Pratt 6. Creating a Context for Rigoberta MenchúGene H. Bell-Villada 7. The Testimonial of Rigoberta Menchú in a Native TraditionLuis O. Arata 8. Official Violence and Folk Violence: Approaching I, Rigoberta Menchú from the Perspectives of Folklife and Peace StudiesWilliam Westerman 9. Literature from the Land Between: A High School Unit on Central American LiteratureJudith E. Petersen 10. The Testimony of Rigoberta Menchú in the Foreign Language CurriculumSharon Ahern FechterRIGOBERTA MENCHÚ AND WHITE, MIDDLE-CLASS STUDENTS 11. Writing Their Way to Compassionate Citizenship: Rigoberta Menchú and Activating High School LearnersJune Kuzmeskus 12. The Freshman Experience at Willamette University: Teaching and Learning with Rigoberta MenchúCatherine Ann Collins and Patricia Varas 13. Having to Read a Book about Oppression: Encountering Rigoberta Menchú's Testimony in Boulder, ColoradoRobin Jones 14. Worlding StudentsSteve Mathews 15. Passion and Politics: Teaching Rigoberta Menchú's Text as a FeministStacey SchlauRIGOBERTA MENCHÚ AND MINORITY/NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS 16. Rigoberta Menchú's Testimony: Empowering ESL Students to WriteDavid Blot 17. Testimony in a Adolescent Day Treatment Center: Rigoberta Menchú and At-Risk YouthAngela Wilcox MoroukianTESTIMONIAL CONSTRUCTIONS 18. Testimonial Dictionary to the Reading of Me llamo rigoberta Menchú y asi me nacio la conciencia: In Search of Our VoiceRino G. Avellaneda, Ksenija Bilbija, Laura G. Gutierrez, Myriam Osorio, Stacey D. Skar, Angela G. Wasia 19. Rigoberta's Earrings: The Limits of Teaching TestimonioTace Hedrick 20. Not Just Plain English: Teaching Critical Reading with I, Rigoberta MenchúClyde Moneyhun 21. "This is My Testimony": Rigoberta Menchú in a Class on Oral HistoryMeri-Jane RochelsonCOMPARATIVE STRATEGIES 22. Rigoberta Menchú's Testimony as Required First-Year ReadingJonnie G. Guerra and Sharon Ahern Fechter 23. A Window of Opportunity: An Ethics of Reading Third World AutobiographyJanet Varner Gunn 24. Supplementing the Standard Curriculum: Twain's Connecticut Yankee and Menchú's Indian Woman of GuatemalaGeraldine T. RodriguezREFLECTIVE TEACHING 25. Bridging the Gap: Modes of Testimony and Teaching Central American PoliticsDaniel Goldrich 26. Rigoberta Menchú and Latin American Cultural History: A Professor's JournalTeresa Longo 27. Training Teachers with Rigoberta Menchú: A Computer ConferenceAllen Carey-Webb 28. Rigoberta Menchú's Secret: Culture and EducationJohn Willinsky Appendix 1 Teaching Materials for I, Rigoberta Menchú Appendix 2 Film/Video Resources Appendix 3 Guatemalan Resources/Activism Contributors Bibliography Index