Traces Of A Stream: Literacy and Social Change Among African American Women

by Jacqueline Jones Royster

Traces of a Stream offers a unique scholarly perspective that merges interests in rhetorical and literacy studies, United States social and political theory, and African American women writers. Focusing on elite nineteenth-century African American women who formed a new class of women well positioned to use language with consequence, Royster uses interdisciplinary perspectives (literature, history, feminist studies, African American studies, psychology, art, sociology, economics) to present a well-textured rhetorical analysis of the literate practices of these women. With a shift in educational opportunity after the Civil War, African American women gained access to higher education and received formal training in rhetoric and writing. By the end of the nineteenth-century, significant numbers of African American women operated actively in many public arenas.

In her study, Royster acknowledges the persistence of disempowering forces in the lives of African American women and their equal perseverance against these forces. Amid these conditions, Royster views the acquisition of literacy as a dynamic moment for African American women, not only in terms of their use of written language to satisfy their general needs for agency and authority, but also to fulfill socio-political purposes as well.

Traces of a Stream is a showcase for nineteenth-century African American women, and particularly elite women, as a group of writers who are currently underrepresented in rhetorical scholarship. Royster has formulated both an analytical theory and an ideological perspective that are useful in gaining a more generative understanding of literate practices as a whole and the practices of African American women in particular. Royster tells a tale of rhetorical prowess, calling for alternative ways of seeing, reading, and rendering scholarship as she seeks to establish a more suitable place for the contributions and achievements of African American women writers.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[CTEP]

In Traces of a Stream: Literacy and Social Change Among African American Women, Jacqueline Jones Royster evaluates African American women's increasing written and oral literacy. She argues that historical essays, publically published or shared within communities, played a large role in creating social change. Through education and making their voices be heard, women greatly altered gender roles, racial disparities, and class dynamics. Many of the women that Royster looks at, came from limiting socioeconomic backgrounds. She states that their limited access to education pushed women to find other means to increase literacy. They observed more privileged social groups, formed women's clubs, and utilized public means like libraries to educate themselves. Storytelling and sharing essays also bridged significant divides.

I would not recommend this book to other AmeriCorps members because the writing was dry and tedious. Written more as observational case studies, Royster's sometimes obvious comments got pretty boring. I picked up this book from the library in hopes of an interesting read that would help me connect with community members in North Minneapolis. I was disappointed to discover a lackluster historical look at literacy.

Royster's evaluation of women's clubs in the pre-war south felt exceedingly mundane. It was unexpected to get a detailed and drawn out historical record of women's clubs. It felt completely unrelated to the book's central argument. As a true nerd, I usually enjoy random trivia and interesting tidbits, but this chapter left plenty to be desired. I would like a word with the copywriter that wrote the descriptive book sleeve for this one, guys. The book's description was misleading to say the least. Don't judge a book by its cover?

[melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Royster's work is important in changing attitudes about the history of African-American literacy, and on the whole, I like what she has to say. However, her doubt that I'll believe her work seeps through the pages. It drove me crazy. Also, she really should have included more primary text - I wanted less of Royster's voice and more of the women's. (2.5 stars)

(Only read select chapters for a grad class - will read more when I have time.)