Papers by Vally Lytra
This article presents research from a collaborative ethnography in four faith settings in London,... more This article presents research from a collaborative ethnography in four faith settings in London, UK. In particular, we show how a group of researchers from diverse cultures teach and learn from each other through the use of field narratives. After outlining a sociocultural approach to learning and discussing how faith situates itself within this frame, we show ways in which field narratives provide a bridge between the past, present and future of cultural events and practices and allow a polyphonic gaze by different researchers describing the same setting. We show how researchers learn to reflect upon their own research site, compare it with those of others, and, ultimately, become more aware of their own. This process is iterative and dialogic, which enriches not only the knowledge of the researchers themselves but also provides a mosaic of different interpretations to a wider interested audience.
In this paper, we illustrate how young children from four faith communities new to London (Tamil ... more In this paper, we illustrate how young children from four faith communities new to London (Tamil Hindu/Saiva, Bangladeshi Muslim, Polish Catholic and Ghanaian Pentecostal) bring together and juxtapose an array of different languages, literacies, learning and discourse styles, communicative resources and experiences to create unique personal narratives. We draw on the concepts of syncretism and syncretic literacies to examine and interpret the creative and transformative processes in which children engage, and show how children combine and ultimately make sense of faith and everyday experiences. Key words syncretism, faith, language and literacy learning, narratives, migration 1 'The limits of my language are the limits of my world' (Wittgenstein, translated by Pears and McGuiness, 1961, 5:6) Cinderella and Krishna wanted to go to a beach -ch in night, then, then, then um, um, um Pillaiyar <Lord Ganesh> said let's go tomorrow morning, it's gonna be so fun, in night there might be so many people, dangerous people, might, might hit us!... then she went to the beach… then she put a tent, -ent… then Krishna made the kitchen -en to cook and eat, eat, and then finally a some people lived in their house… Krishna said to the people that's who that the, the good people to " you can sleep um in my house and this is not my real house, so you could actually sleep on there". (Tanja, aged 7, video-recording 21/09/2011) As Tanja weaves together the different threads of her story, she draws not just upon different cultures and story traditions but the history of generations of worshippers of her religion; the ways of living, values and knowledge from her family's Hindu/Saiva faith. To these, she adds her knowledge of school language, stories and experience in the shape of Cinderella, retold in English. The result expresses her unique personal interpretation and understanding of different aspects of her life. This paper proposes syncretism as a creative act of mind in interpreting ways in which Tanja and other children in multilingual London make sense of narratives from their different worlds.
In this article we examine a faith teacher's reflections on faith literacy teaching and learning ... more In this article we examine a faith teacher's reflections on faith literacy teaching and learning and how they shaped his pedagogy in the context of Hindu/Saiva religious instruction classes for students of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. The data are part of a larger multi-site three-year team ethnography of children's faith literacy learning in places of worship, religious education classes and homes across four ethno-linguistic communities in London (Bangladeshi Muslim, Polish Catholic, Ghanaian Pentecostal and Tamil Hindu/Saiva). In this article, we focus on one of the Hindu/Saiva faith teachers by combining an in-depth semi-structured interview with the teacher in question with participant observations and video-recordings of faith lessons. Drawing on the faith teacher's reflections, we identify the changes in the nature and scope of faith literacy learning across time and in the London diasporic setting and demonstrate how the faith teacher responded to them by adopting flexible language practices
In this article, I present and discuss a commemorative book project to mark the fortieth annivers... more In this article, I present and discuss a commemorative book project to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Greek School of Lausanne. I examine the continuities and discontinuities of the notions of language, identity and community as these were represented through the voices of former Greek state officials, teachers and pupils. I take a long view, combining archival material with interviews and written accounts spanning the first twenty years of the establishment and development of the school. Finally, I tentatively reflect on how the book project might have impacted on the Greek community of Lausanne and its school in a period of transition.
This paper contributes to our understanding of how siblings in diasporic settings teach and learn... more This paper contributes to our understanding of how siblings in diasporic settings teach and learn from each other. It draws upon data from a longitudinal ethnographic study (2009-2013) exploring how children become literate through faith activities across four communities in London. The study examines children’s emerging faith literacies, focusing on ways in which they are socialised into their faith at the site of worship, the religious education class and in their homes. This paper focuses on one of the four participant families who are part of the Tamil Hindu community in London and traces how siblings begin to internalise learning through play linked to their faith at home. Using the example of two children constructing their Temple from plastic building blocks to act out appropriate religious rituals, we show how the children acquire cultural knwledge important both for faith membership and their everyday lives.
Publications by Vally Lytra
Heritage Language Education in Greece and Cyprus, 2023
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Papers by Vally Lytra
Publications by Vally Lytra