The Consequences and Value of Literacy: A Critical Reappraisal

Abstract

In many First World countries, the value of literacy is seldom questioned. Literacy, it is often believed, has certain consequences (e.g., economic growth, social mobility, and logical thought) which are highly desirable. This article problematizes commonplace assumptions about the nature of literacy. Rejecting the technological view of literacy (represented by theorists such as Goody and Ong), the author, drawing on the work of Lankshear and Lawler, argues that reading and writing need to be seen as complex social forms, dynamically interwoven with (and inseparable from) other dimensions of human activity. Literacies are seen as heterogeneous, nonneutral constructs and practices, with consequences which vary across different contexts and ethical positions.