Abstract

Peasant workers refer to those who were originally doing farm work in rural areas and who have rushed into cities to find more economically rewarding jobs in China. They are marginalized economically, socially and culturally. This thesis provides a qualitative study on the literacy practices of the peasant workers in Northern China. Peasant workers' subjective interpretations of their lives and literacy practices are the main source of data and a phenomenological perspective functions as the theoretical underpinning for data analysis. The author mainly examines the meaning of literacy for peasant workers in the Chinese culture, the relationship of literacy and identity, and the role of schooling in literacy in peasant worker's lives. The thesis concludes that literacy education for peasant workers in China is, by its nature, oppressive, authoritarian and antidemocratic. The author also provides some suggestions to make literacy education more emanicipatory and more empowering.