Ain’t Nothin’ in Them Books

The first of a three-chapter sequence exploring “cultural division in a capitalist society,” chapter 5 addresses the question--raised by the previous chapter on the back-to-the-land movement--of why some adults in eastern Kentucky are highly literate and book educated, while most are not. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork, the chapter argues that many people experience a kind of “make-believe,” lecture-based schooling that renders them disinterested in reading and book-based learning. Some are raised in literate households, which may offset the limitations of the classroom; most, however, grow up in households with limited literacy and have little opportunity to access this crucial set of educational resources. The chapter recognizes the worth of practical skills and knowledge, while also discussing the real impacts of pedagogical dispossession.