ABSTRACT
Power is often discussed in studies of classroom language and literacy events either directly or by reference to related topics such as equity, democracy, freedom, justice, racism, classism, homophobia, sexism, and so forth. What is meant by power is often vague, undertheorized, or left as an unacknowledged empty sign. In this chapter we examine the potential benefits of microethnographic discourse analysis to sharpen the discussion and debate of what and how power is in classroom language and literacy events.1
