The Struggle and the Tools: Oral and Literate Strategies in an Inner City Community

The Struggle and the Tools explores the daily lives and language use of African-American men, women, and children living in an inner city neighborhood. Based on three-and-a-half years of fieldwork, this book presents the oral, literate, and analytical strategies (the "tools") inner city residents use to gain resources, access to social institutions, and respect (the "struggle"). It honors both the types of agency present in the struggle, and the kinds of linguistic savvy present in the tools. It examines the deep games of power they play with their language and social consciousness and characterizes their daily experiences without glorification.

Ellen Cushman is a Senior Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley