First Person, First People: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories

Although giving back is consistently recognized as a goal of Native (Native Hawaiian, Native American, and Alaska Native) college students, little in the literature describes giving back in detail. To fill this gap, this research examines the essence of giving back as it is experienced by Native college graduates. It explores, through both Indigenous and phenomenological research methodologies, how Native college graduates come to value giving back, enact giving back, and make meaning of giving back. The findings from this study contribute to what is known about how Native college graduates may contribute to the self-determination of their nations and call for a reconceptualization of postsecondary success for Native peoples.

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First Person: H_NGM_N: What one says, and doesn’t say, to white educators

Phi Delta Kappan ◽

10.1177/0031721721992568 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 102 (5) ◽

pp. 54-57

Author(s):

Lois Beardslee

Keyword(s):

Native American ◽

Racial Integration ◽

First Person ◽

White Educators ◽

Children Of Color ◽

White Teacher ◽

Communities Of Color ◽

Defensive Reactions ◽

Power Differentials ◽

American Author

Native American author Lois Beardslee discusses how she has experienced the power differentials that arise from the lack of significant racial integration in the field of education. Beardslee describes how a white teacher reacted when she, while serving as a substitute teacher’s aide, suggested finding a substitute for the game hangman, a game reminiscent of the violent lynchings and executions by hanging experienced within communities of color. Beardslee explores how the pervasive whiteness of education and the defensive reactions of white educators when questioned makes it difficult for teachers and children of color to speak out.

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Facts and Fictions: Rethinking Vulnerability and Resistance in Late-Life Narratives and Why Age Matters

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3071 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 838-838

Author(s):

Ulla Kriebernegg ◽

Kate de Medeiros

Keyword(s):

Short Story ◽

Life Stories ◽

Late Life ◽

Cultural Construction ◽

First Person ◽

Cultural Narratives ◽

Life Narratives ◽

Narrative Constructions

Abstract Narrative gerontology examines the experience of aging through life stories and other first-person accounts. Literary gerontology explores cultural narratives (e.g., novels, films) that link us to our own aging through stories of others, real or imagined. Our paper focuses on narrative constructions of vulnerability, resistance, subjectivity and agency in life stories, interviews and fictional texts (e.g., Margaret Atwood’s short story “Torching the Dusties.”) It considers how aspects of vulnerability are embedded in stories and what they reveal about the cultural construction of age and aging or what makes us vulnerable as we age. Overall, our paper highlights the socio-cultural construction of vulnerability in narratives related to age and aging, focusing on the representation of vulnerability as a form of resistance and position of strength.

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