搜索
ArtsoftheContactZoneByMaryLouisePrattFromWaysofReading,5thedition,ed.DavidBartholomaeandAnthonyPetroksky(NewYork:Bedford/St.Martin's,1999)Wheneverthesubjectofliteracycomesup,whatoftenpopsfirstintomymindisaconversationIoverheardeightyearsagobetweenmysonSamandhisbestfriend,Willie,agedsixandseven,respectively:WhydontyoutrademeManyTrailsforCarlYats...Yesits...Ya-strum-scrum.Thatsnothowyousayit,dummy,itsCarlYes...Yes...oh,Idontknow.SamandWilliehadjustdiscoveredbaseballcards.ManyTrailswastheirdecoding,withthehelpoffirst-gradeEnglishphonics,ofthenameMannyTrillo.ThenametheywerequiterightlystumpedonwasCarlYastremski.ThatwasthefirsttimeIrememberedseeingthemputtheirincipientliteracytotheirownuse,andIwasofcoursethrilled.SamandWillielearnedalotaboutphonicsthatyearbytryingtodeciphersurnamesonbaseballcards,andalotaboutcities,states,heights,weights,placesofbirth,stagesoflife.Intheyearsthatfollowed,IwatchedSamapplyhisarithmeticskillstoworkingoutbattingaveragesandsubtractingretirementyearsfromrookieyears;Iwatchedhimdevelopsensesofpatterningandorderbyarrangingandrearranginghiscardsforhoursonend,andaestheticjudgmentbycomparingdifferentphotos,differentseries,layouts,andcolorschemes.Americangeographyandhistorytookshapeinhismindthroughbaseballcards.Muchofhissocialliferevolvedaroundtradingthem,andhelearnedaboutexchange,fairness,trust,theimportanceofprocessesasopposedtoresults,whatitmeanstogetcheated,takenadvantageof,evenrobbed.Baseballcardswerethemediumofhiseconomiclifetoo.Nowherebettertolearnthepowerandarbitrarinessofmoney,theabsolutedivorcebetweenusevalueandexchangevalue,notionsoflong-andshort-terminvestment,thepossibilityofpersonalvaluesthatareindependentofmarketvalues.Baseballcardsmeantbaseballcardshows,wheretherewasmuchtobelearnedaboutadultworldsaswell.Andbaseballcardsopenedthedoortobaseballbooks,shelvesandshelvesofencyclopedias,magazines,histories,biographies,novels,booksofjokes,anecdotes,cartoons,evenpoems.SamlearnedthehistoryofAmericanracismandthestruggleagainstitthroughbaseball;hesawtheDepressionandtwoworldwarsfrombehindhomeplate.Helearnedthemeaningofcommodifiedlabor,whatitmeansforonesbodyandtalentstobeownedanddispensedbyanother.HeknowssomethingaboutJapan,Taiwan,Cuba,andCentralAmericaandhowmenandboysdothingsthere.Throughthehistoryandexperienceofbaseballstadiumshethoughtaboutarchitecture,light,wind,topography,meteorology,thedynamicsofpublicspace.Helearnedthemeaningofexpertise,ofknowingaboutsomethingwellenoughthatyoucanstartaconversationwithastrangerandfeelsureofholdingyourown.Evenwithanadult--especiallywithanadult.Throughouthispreadolescentyears,baseballhistorywasSamsluminouspointofcontactwithgrown-ups,hislifelinetocaring.And,ofcourse,allthistimehewasalsoplayingbaseball,StrugglinghiswaythroughthestagesofthelocalLittleLeaguesystem,luckyenoughtobeaprettygoodplayer,lovingthegameandcomingtoknowdeeplyhisstrengthsandweaknesses.LiteracybeganforSamwiththenewlypronounceablenamesonthePicturecardsandbroughthimwhathasbeeneasilythebroadest,mostvaried,mostenduring,andmostintegratedexperienceofhisthirteen-yearlife.Likemanyparents,IwasdelightedtoseeschoolinggiveSamthetoolswithwhichtofindandopenallthesedoors.AtthesametimeIfounditunforgivablethatschoolingitselfgavehimnothingremotelyasmeaningfultodo,letaloneanythingthatwouldactuallytakehimbeyondthereferential,masculinistethosofbaseballanditslore.However,Iwasnotinvitedheretospeakasaparent,norasanexpertonliteracy.IwasaskedtospeakasanMLA[ModernLanguageAssociation]memberworkingintheeliteacademy.Inthatcapacitymycontributionisundoubtedlysupposedtobeabstract,irrelevant,andanchoredoutsidetherealworld.Iwouldn'tdreamofdisappointinganyone.IproposeimmediatelytoheadbackseveralcenturiestoatextthathasafewpointsincommonwithbaseballcardsandraisesthoughtsaboutwhatTonySarmiento,inhiscommentstotheconference,callednewvisionsofliteracy.In1908aPeruvianistnamedRichardPietschmannwasexploringintheDanishRoyalArchiveinCopenhagenandcameacrossamanuscript.ItwasdatedinthecityofCuzcoinPeru,intheyear1613,somefortyyearsafterthefinalfalloftheIncaempiretotheSpanishandsignedwithanunmistakablyAndeanindigenousname:FelipeGuamanPomadeAyala.WritteninamixtureofQuechuaandungrammatical,expressiveSpanish,themanuscriptwasaletteraddressedbyanunknownbutapparentlyliterateAndeantoKingPhilipIIIofSpain.WhatstunnedPietschmannwasthattheletterwastwelvehundredpageslong.Therewerealmosteighthundredpagesofwrittentextandfourhundredofcaptionedlinedrawings.ItwastitledTheFirstNewChronicleandGoodGovernment.Nooneknew(orknows)howthemanuscriptgottothelibraryinCopenhagenorhowlongithadbeenthere.Noone,itappeared,hadeverbotheredtoreaditorfiguredouthow.Quechuawasnotthoughtofasawrittenlanguagein1908,norAndeancultureasaliterateculture.Pietschmannpreparedapaperonhisfind,whichhepresentedinLondonin1912,ayearaftertherediscoveryofMachuPicchubyHiramBingham.Reception,byaninternationalcongressofAmericanists,wasapparentlyconfused.Ittooktwenty-fiveyearsforafacsimileeditionoftheworktoappearinParis.Itwasnottillthelate1970s,aspositivistreadinghabitsgavewaytointerpretivestudiesan