What a Genealogical Analysis of Nila Banton Smith’s American Reading Instruction Reveals About the Present Through the Past

The authors used a conceptual analysis, following Foucauldian genealogy, to consider the history of Nila Banton Smith’s American Reading Instruction. The goal was to make better sense of the challenges and opportunities facing literacy instruction today and to articulate the enormous responsibilities of literacy scholars to critically represent the past in relation to the present. The guiding question for the research was, What enabling conditions make it possible for Smith’s American Reading Instruction and the historical narrative of progress in elementary reading instruction in the United States to remain strong? The authors identify and discuss five enabling conditions and discuss how the study of these conditions can inform understanding of the field of reading instruction today. The authors further argue for genealogical research as a promising tool for historical research into reading instruction.