The Invisible Culture: Communication in Classroom and Community on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation

A classic in the fields of educational anthropology and sociolinguistics, this volume offers much to the understanding of the organization of communication in the classroom. With an approach that balances both theory and application, Philips explores the experience of Warm Springs Indian children in an American school. She reveals the ways in which the daily interactions among the teachers and students place the Indian children in a subordinate position not only by virtue of their status as children and students relative to adult teachers, but also as Indians relative to the dominant Euro-American culture. While this book is ostensibly about the experience of the Warm Springs children, it also expresses important insights for anyone who seeks to understand the role of language in culture.