Creating Space: Making Room for Identity Politics in English Language Arts Class. Lessons from a Community Theatre Project

Abstract

In the context of this work, autoethnography is used as a pedagogical space and a cultural text. Reflexive practice situates personal narrative within the broader cultural, political, and institutional context that shapes English language arts education in Canada. Using a cultural studies frame, autoethnography is used to consider how the discipline of English Language Arts, especially in middle and high schools, can create space for community-based, queer, neurodivergent voices by considering expanded notions of literacy and identity. Structures of power are examined from the position of an ally and teacher educator, revealing how past attempts at creating space for students may have fallen short and how a project like Blackout offers hope and possibility for future educators. When youth theatre is positioned as more than an extracurricular activity, it becomes a site of cultural production where power, representation, and subjectivity are actively negotiated. This perspective not only illuminates the transformative potential of youth theatre for participants but also underscores its relevance for English language arts teacher education by tracing how meaning and identity might be contested and reimagined. This article contributes to an understanding of pedagogy as a critical and transformative practice where such projects can push back against and resist normative discourse.

Keywords: autoethnography, cultural studies, critical literacy, identity, arts-based pedagogy, English language arts