Critical Literacy among the Working Poor: Individualism and Pseudostructural Interpretive Narratives of Health Inequalities

Abstract

Critical literacy is akin to a sociological imagination as it involves the ability to distinguish between private troubles and public issues and the competency to use such distinctions to facilitate and engage in social change. This article is a case study of low-income rural Whites' personal interpretations of health and income inequalities with a concern for understanding the potential effectiveness of a community action program (CAP) designed to enhance their critical literacy. Findings reveal that low-income rural Whites predominantly use ideologies of individualism to interpret the inequalities experienced by others, they employ a pseudostructural level analysis tempered by individualism to interpret their experience of health and income inequalities, and they respond collectively along racial and national lines when considering overall inequalities. Based on these findings, I provide suggestions on how CAPs can more effectively elevate the critical literacy of low-income rural Whites.