Local appropriation of global communication forms: A micro case study of teacher and learners’ uses of mass media genres

Conceptual Blending Theory (CBT) (Fauconnier & Turner, 2002), a cognitive theory of human processes of innovation, can be productively used alongside critical literacy approaches, for the analysis of how teachers and learners draw selectively, transformatively and purposively from aspects of the mass media. While numerous studies have pointed to the complexity of the relationship between globalised mass media forms and local cultures, highlighting intricate bi-directional flows of influence, there is still much to be learned of the nature of individual take-up of the global within the local, particularly with respect to youth in school settings. CBT offers a set of tools with which to peel open certain pedagogic processes and products, gaining a clearer vision of parts of their components and inner workings. In this paper I analyse qualitative data showing how one South African English teacher and a group of her Grade 10 learners draw from mass media genres of advertising, infomercials, talk shows and popular music, and blend these with elements of local culture and pedagogic genres, in order to meet their specific, localised communicative purposes. In the light of this analysis, I also consider implications for the use of mass media genres and products within English education, for the promotion of critical media literacy amongst learners.