Abstract :
Legal literacy, or the knowledge of law, rights, and obligations, is necessary at individual and societal levels (Schuler & Kadirgamar-Rajasingham, 1992). However, ‘legal literacy’ is complex considering its multifaceted and interdisciplinary nature “situated at a crossroads in which law, education, gender, and political action intersect” (p. 3). Legal literacy could become even more challenging in the life of transnational individuals who cross national as well as linguistic and sociopolitical borders (Heller, 2012) because their rights and obligations in their home and host countries are dissimilar. In this paper, led by the question, ‘how do transnational individuals navigate and solve problems related to law, right, and responsibility in their new host country?’ the author will present data excerpts from series of interview (Seidman, 2013) and preliminary findings of this case study that explores legal literacy among female participants originally from Thailand yet residing in the United States as recently-naturalized citizens. They have already had a college degree from their previous country and mastered a certain level of literacy in English. However, the limited knowledge of what and how to manage basic needs such as childcare, auto/home insurance policy, and marriage and divorce laws in the host country could make their daily life difficult.
Informed by transnational literacy (Warriner, 2007, 2009) and critical theory (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 1987) the author argues that the participants’ contested cultural values between the sending and receiving nations in addition to limited access to reliable legal information may reserve them from utilizing their full rights and expressing their voice. This study has implications for community-based practice and adult education. The author suggests that transnational and transcultural values, including legal terms in both participants’ native language and English, should be identified and discussed literately and widely in the community and between the states and their citizens.
