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Creating Space: Making Room for Identity Politics in English Language Arts Class. Lessons from a Community Theatre Project

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Title: Creating Space: Making Room for Identity Politics in English Language Arts Class. Lessons from a Community Theatre Project
Language: English
Authors: Connie Morrison (ORCID 0009-0000-6138-2741)
Source: in education. 2026 31(1):74-89.
Availability: University of Regina, Faculty of Education. Education Building, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2. e-mail: editor@ineducation.ca; Web site: https://journals.uregina.ca/ineducation/index
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
High Schools
Descriptors: Language Arts, Middle Schools, High Schools, Foreign Countries, Inclusion, Self Concept, Theater Arts, Youth Programs, LGBTQ People, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Students with Disabilities, English Teacher Education, Sense of Belonging, Art Education, Teaching Methods, Culturally Relevant Education, Resistance (Psychology), Minority Group Students, Critical Literacy
Geographic Terms: Canada
DOI: 10.37119/ojs2026.v31i1.951
ISSN: 1927-6117
Abstract: In the context of this work, autoethnography is used as a pedagogical space and a cultural text. Reflexive practice situates personal narrative within the broader cultural, political, and institutional context that shapes English language arts education in Canada. Using a cultural studies frame, autoethnography is used to consider how the discipline of English Language Arts, especially in middle and high schools, can create space for community-based, queer, neurodivergent voices by considering expanded notions of literacy and identity. Structures of power are examined from the position of an ally and teacher educator, revealing how past attempts at creating space for students may have fallen short and how a project like "Blackout" offers hope and possibility for future educators. When youth theatre is positioned as more than an extracurricular activity, it becomes a site of cultural production where power, representation, and subjectivity are actively negotiated. This perspective not only illuminates the transformative potential of youth theatre for participants but also underscores its relevance for English language arts teacher education by tracing how meaning and identity might be contested and reimagined. This article contributes to an understanding of pedagogy as a critical and transformative practice where such projects can push back against and resist normative discourse.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1499711
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Creating Space: Making Room for Identity Politics in English Language Arts Class. Lessons from a Community Theatre Project
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Connie+Morrison%22">Connie Morrison</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6138-2741">0009-0000-6138-2741</externalLink>)
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  Data: University of Regina, Faculty of Education. Education Building, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2. e-mail: editor@ineducation.ca; Web site: https://journals.uregina.ca/ineducation/index
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Arts%22">Language Arts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inclusion%22">Inclusion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Concept%22">Self Concept</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theater+Arts%22">Theater Arts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Youth+Programs%22">Youth Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22LGBTQ+People%22">LGBTQ People</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neurodevelopmental+Disorders%22">Neurodevelopmental Disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Students+with+Disabilities%22">Students with Disabilities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+Teacher+Education%22">English Teacher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sense+of+Belonging%22">Sense of Belonging</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Art+Education%22">Art Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Culturally+Relevant+Education%22">Culturally Relevant Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Resistance+%28Psychology%29%22">Resistance (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minority+Group+Students%22">Minority Group Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+Literacy%22">Critical Literacy</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.37119/ojs2026.v31i1.951
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  Data: 1927-6117
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  Data: In the context of this work, autoethnography is used as a pedagogical space and a cultural text. Reflexive practice situates personal narrative within the broader cultural, political, and institutional context that shapes English language arts education in Canada. Using a cultural studies frame, autoethnography is used to consider how the discipline of English Language Arts, especially in middle and high schools, can create space for community-based, queer, neurodivergent voices by considering expanded notions of literacy and identity. Structures of power are examined from the position of an ally and teacher educator, revealing how past attempts at creating space for students may have fallen short and how a project like "Blackout" offers hope and possibility for future educators. When youth theatre is positioned as more than an extracurricular activity, it becomes a site of cultural production where power, representation, and subjectivity are actively negotiated. This perspective not only illuminates the transformative potential of youth theatre for participants but also underscores its relevance for English language arts teacher education by tracing how meaning and identity might be contested and reimagined. This article contributes to an understanding of pedagogy as a critical and transformative practice where such projects can push back against and resist normative discourse.
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