Declared ‘literate’: Subjectivation through decontextualised literacy practices

Abstract

The concepts of adult literacy and adult education have been predominantly framed by the discourse of development in Nepal whereby literacy programmes are designed to combat illiteracy with the purpose of promoting the socio-economic and human development in the country. In this effort, certain groups of women and ethnic minorities have been homogenously categorised as ‘illiterate’ and constituted as target groups for such basic and functional literacy programmes. This process of subjectivation through literacy programme works to impose feelings of inadequacy among the participants of the literacy programme, which further invalidates their own experience and situated knowledge. This article illustrates this process of subjectivation and resistance to it while challenging the idea of a homogenous ‘Thakali women’ through the personal narratives of Thakali women and their experiences of engaging with the discursive practices of literacy. In doing so, the article argues that the decontextualised approach to literacy further erases the socio-cultural, economic and historical context within which the individuals form their experiences and knowledge and hence, the need for culturally contextualised literacy practices that account for lived experiences and knowledge.

Keywords:

• Adult literacy
• subjectivation
• Thakali women
• Nepal

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

Notes

1 The Thakali people are one of the many indigenous nationalities residing in Nepal; considered an elite minority in terms of population and economic status, with distinct geo-political and cultural ties to the Thak region of the northeastern Nepal. The term ‘Thakali’ will be further explained later in the article.

2 mhom is the Thakali word for grandmother

3 Butler (1997) uses the word ‘subjection’ and ‘subjectivation’ interchangeably to refer to the same phenomenon.

4 The adult literacy classes are also referred to as raatri or night school.