Literacies for a New Canon

Abstract

This commentary approaches the question of whether there is or should be a law and humanities canon through John Guillory’s analysis of canon formation as an adjunct to specific forms of literacy and their perceived social value within “school culture.” Returning to the law and literature movement, with a focus on literature, this essay contends that in order to determine what should be in a canon, law and humanities must first revisit its aims and objectives, link what it reads to pedagogical goals, and draw clearer connections between teaching and scholarship. As the field’s texts modernize and diversify, so too should the literacies students need to engage with them.