June 28, 2017
Iswari Pandey, a professor of English at California State University, Northridge, has won the 2017 Advancement of Knowledge Award for his book “South Asian in the Mid-South: Migrations of Literacies” from the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Pandey’s book analyzes how recent South Asian immigrants form and transform their language and cultural practices as a result of migration and contact with other cultures in the United States. He interviewed more than 70 immigrants representing different walks of life and faith traditions — including Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims — and observed cultural and educational practices at community spaces, as well as presentations by these community members at religious and secular institutions.
Writing the book in its current format was not his original plan, Pandey said.
“I originally wanted to do a case study, but as I gathered my information, I was getting deeper into the thick of things — deeper into a treasure trove of knowledge about how languages and cultures are recreated as a result of relocation,” Pandey said. “The immigrants were not simply importing their cultures to their new homes. They were also heavily invested in reshaping what their authentic culture should be like, discussing and interpreting different texts, to select the most appropriate ones for their children’s literacy education in relation to history and contemporary culture. Article Continues