Researching Literate Lives

"Through chapters packed with images, poems, and stories, this book pushes boundaries between text, image, voice, and story. Harste invites readers to revisit recent histories of literacy scholarship through his own professional journey. The inclusion of language stories, historical notes, fun facts, and professional tips makes this an essential book for novice and experienced literacy scholars."

—Catherine Compton-Lilly, University of South Carolina, USA

"Harste’s work in the field of literacy education is that of a life-long learner who embodies multimodality as a writer, a poet, and accomplished artist. Unafraid to speak truth to power, he demonstrates his commitment to social justice in everything he has ever done as a teacher and researcher. His unwavering belief in children and teachers makes him a giant in the field."

—Hilary Janks, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

"In this gem of a book, I am struck by Harste’s leadership. He performs as a dynamic combination of Don Quixote and Big Bill Heywood…. ‘Don’ Harste has the vision to see what’s not yet, but could be; and ‘Big Bill’ Harste has the guts to act in order to align what is with what ought."

—Patrick Shannon, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

"In this book by one of the leading literacy educators in America, Harste demonstrates the value of multimodal meaning-making and how adoption of these practices has transformed the world of literacy teaching and learning."

—Richard Beach, University of Minnesota, USA

"Jerome Harste is one of the most important educational thinkers of our times. He has inspired generations upon generations of scholars and teachers. At once pugnacious and empathetic, Harste has never shied away from taking on the reigning orthodoxies in literacy research and policy, especially when they shade into a scientism that dehumanizes students. Beneath his refreshingly lucid prose lies a profound egalitarian spirit and a prescient and complex understanding of children’s capacities to imagine more just worlds. We will be returning to his ideas for years to come. Hopefully all schools will learn from him to truly honor children as playfully critical and creative intellectuals."

—Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania, USA

"[This book] provides a fascinating examination of literacy, literacy learning, teaching and teacher education….It provides a window into the evolution of a remarkable literacy teacher-researcher, his research process, and the thought collective he orchestrated, including researchers from semiotics, psycholinguistics, psychology, anthropology, and linguistics….The book will be especially valuable for graduate students who are entering the field of research because it shows the development of a research trajectory and the conscious evolution of a researcher."

—From the Foreword by Peter H. Johnston, The University of Albany, USA