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Essay Book Review

In this essay review of Phoebe Farris-Dufrene's edited collection, Voices oJColor (1997), we investigate the power of cultural narrative when used as a pedagogical tool for exploring issues of diversity. "Researchers who have adopted narrative methods have found them particularly useful for addressing the unmet challenge of integrating culture, person, and change ... " (Daiute & Lightfoot, 2004, p. viii). We utilize three narratives' spaces from the perspectives of diverse cultural groups. These spaces are characterized by the voices of artists, educators, and graduate students focused on the realities and issues of ethnicity. The power of narrative as a pedagogical tool has long been supported by major curriculum theorists such as Slattery (1999, 2003), Slattery and Rapp (2003), and hooks (1994, 2003). Art educators have also supported the use of narrative as a strong pedagogical form when exploring issues of diversity (Daniel, 2003; Smith-Shank, 1993). We felt that Voices oJColoroffered us an opportunity to teach and learn about the complexity of diversity and the related concepts of empowerment and disempowerment. This opportunity we further believe, offers other art educators the possibility of doing like-wise. Recently we used this text as a basis for conversational discussions in a team-led, 5-week summer graduate seminar course. The issues raised by our discussions of the book, although it was published in 1997, were of such quality and interest to the contemporary topic of diversity and visual culture that we wish to share them with you in this essay review. Dufrene and the other authors gave us a starting point from which to teach about difference. The voices of color in her book represent and speak on behalf of the disenfranchised and marginalized members of societies. Through their stories of struggle, negotiation, and strength of conviction, our understandings of what it means to be and act as responsible members of the human race can be expanded. Moreover, we explore "the power of narratives to lead readers to action" (Daiute & Lightfoot, 2004, p. 7).