What is heuristic inquiry? In your own words, please describe how Chris uses heuristic inquiry in his own language and identity work.
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LIN 150 052W Language, Race, and Ethnicity in the US and Its Territories
A BMCC OpenLab course site
What is heuristic inquiry? In your own words, please describe how Chris uses heuristic inquiry in his own language and identity work.
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As I began reading the literature it became evident to me that heuristic inquiry, focuses on personal experiences and self-reflection for a deeper understanding of a subject. Personally, I think about how my childhood shaped who I am today–I noticed how my childhood affects 100% the way I am today as my adult-self.
Reading through Chris’ journey, I noticed immediately that Chris uses heuristic inquiry when he mentions that at Appalachian State University, Chris was encouraged by his professor, and Chris was able to pursue a second major in English, driven by a genuine PERSONAL connection. In his linguistics course, Chris displayed a proactive approach to academic inquiry, actively incorporating insights from his peers. By notably incorporating a personal home video from a Christmas celebration, he clearly emphasized the autobiographical nature of heuristic inquiry. Through this method, Chris effectively shed light on the linguistic nuances within the Lumbee dialect, offering an intimate viewpoint. Overall, Chris’s academic journey stands as a testament to his use of heuristic inquiry. He skillfully combines personal interests, scholarly engagement, and introspection to achieve a deeper understanding of the Lumbee dialect!
Further in the reading I noticed that Chris had to reflect deeply on who he was when he was questioned where he was from. “After the initial introductions a crowd of students asked me questions and demanded to know where I grew up. When I replied that I was from Robeson County, they all shouted, “He’s Lumbee.” I did not know how to respond, but, as it turned out, a former member of the group, Keith Oxendine, also Lumbee, had graduated the previous May.” (Scott, 490). Chris encountered a pivotal moment! The questions he was faced with prompted him to reflect on his own cultural identity and how it was perceived in this new environment. This aligns with the essence of heuristic inquiry, as he was drawing on personal experiences and reflecting on their significance in shaping his sense of self within this unfamiliar setting.
I really enjoy reading your contributions! You generally put a lot of effort into them and it is very much appreciated!
From what I understood from the article, heuristic inquiry is a type of study that involves multiple individuals or subjects and their experiences about a specific topic. It focuses on the experiences of those chosen for the study to learn more about the topic or question at hand. In the article, Chris explains his own situation and confusion and struggle as well as including interviews from five people who were Lumbee and had moved away from their hometown to go and further their educations. The study focused on how their ethnic background influenced their self identity.
Chris used heuristic inquiry in his work by using examples from his own experiences and how his own sense of self identity was affected by being Lumbee and choosing to move away from his home town to pursue his dreams. He starts his work with a story of his where he goes to one of the elder’s homes and talks with her about leaving. She leaves him with a phrase that sticks with him throughout his whole journey, “Are you gonna rise above your raisin’?” essentially meaning is he going to leave and forget about where he came form. He explains how during his journey at school he begins to question whether he is “rising above his raisin” and struggles with his identity. He uses the interviews with the five subjects to get a better understanding of how these people feel about their own sense of identity. He analyzes the study by seeing the similarities and differences between the individuals and how they are similar or differ from what he went through. He ends the piece with an overall analysis that although everyone struggled whether it was with leaving their Lumbee culture or being made fun of for the way they talk when they went to a new place and trying to figure out whether they should change and go with the mainstream or stay true to their roots. Everyone made it to the fifth and final stage of racial identity development and found a way to live with and be proud of their own cultural background and sense of race while living in what is thought of as more of a mainstream or “standard” American society.