The DREAM Act

This week's reading on race in the public sphere interacted nicely with the topic I have been looking into for the final paper. I have been attempting to find a topic in the area of education reform that I could examine to identify power relations and the democratic topos that underpins the discourse. In this search, I came across the DREAM act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors). 

This issue is particularly interesting in the state of Texas, because Texas is one of a dozen states that has enacted its own brand of the DREAM act. In 2001, Governor Rick Perry enacted the Texas DREAM act, which allowed the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition if they met the program's eligibility criterion.

A common discourse techniques that I have encountered in relation to this issue has been the use of storytelling. There are literally hundreds of narratives out there on blogs, in newspaper articles, on political websites, etc. Each narrative gives the background of an individual who will be positively affected by the new act.

Young's article discussed the use of narrative as a rhetorical technique that "reveals the particular experiences of those in social locations, experiences that cannot be shared by those situated differently but that they must understand in order to do justice to the others" (Young, p. 131). In the narrative on this political website: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hot-topics?ContentRecord_id=d17ca59b-7420-441b-9ac2-2faf7549e9d0, the story tells us that Pierre's experience is not indicative of the stereotypical conception held by the masses of illegal immigrants. 

Loke's article provided an analysis of discourse related to illegal immigration, and highlighted some of the stereotypes that are held regarding illegal immigrants. One of these stereotypes is that immigrants refuse to integrate and learn English, and another is that illegal immigrants do not want to assimilate, if they did, they would apply for citizenship the legal way (Loke, p. 190). Both of these stereotypes are contradicted by Pierre's story. The narrative asserts that despots not knowing "a word of English when he first arrived in Carrolton, Texas… he worked hard and quickly became fluent." Pierre was also brought here when he was a child, which relieves him of the responsibility for the illegal act of entry. 

Pierre's experience combats the negative stereotypes associated with illegal immigrants. The following statement sums up the intent of such a narrative " I am not a criminal, a monster, a predator, or someone who sits at home doing nothing substantive or meaningful. I care for this country; I care for its successes as well as its struggles, for its joys as well as its sorrows. I am not asking that our government maintain an open-door policy for immigrants. I am simply asking that it give an opportunity to those of us who have proven ourselves."

The use of narrative, according to Young, "exhibits the situated knowledge available of the collective from each perspective." (Young, p. 132) By giving real-world examples of individuals that contradict the negative stereotypes attributed to this group, stakeholders supporting the DREAM act can simultaneously work to dismantle race/ culture-based stereotypes and provide insight into the world of the "other." 

Young's article on communicative discourse will be useful in identifying discourse types that encourage communicative democracy in the public(s) that are discussing the DREAM act. I see links between this article and Asen's conception of a multiplicity of public spheres that are fluid and ever-changing. Discourse can take place between many publics, and the publics do not necessarily change their self-identification, but opinions can be changed due to a new understanding of the experiences of others. This link may need some further clarification and exploration.

Young, Iris Marion. "Communication and the Other: Beyond Deliberative Democracy." Democracy and Difference: Contesting the Boundaries of the Political. Ed. Seyla Benhabib. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. 120-35. Print.

Loke, Jamie. "Readers' Debate A Local Murder Trial: "Race" in the Online Public Sphere." Communication , Culture & Critique (2013): 179-200.