Literacy-- A perspective

James Gee illustrates his idea of what literacy is in What is Literacy? He states:

"Literacy is control of secondary use of language (i.e., uses of language in secondary discourses). Thus there are as many applications of the word "literacy" as these are secondary discourses, which is many.  We can define various types of literacy as follows: Dominant literacy is control of a secondary use of language used in what I called above a "dominant discourse. Powerful literacy is control as a secondary use of language used in a secondary discourse that can serve as a meta-discourse to critique the primary discourse of other secondary discourses, including dominant discourses" (p.8).

What this definition brings to my attention is the power divide that literacy can and does create; it is a divide that places a line in the sand between those who were raised with and those who were raised without.  Gee also discussed within the context of understanding literacy the notion of language and literacy acquisition and language and literacy learning.  And again, I am reminded of the power struggle inherently found within the fabric of the great literacy divide.   He writes: "Children from non-mainstream homes often do not get the opportunities to acquire dominant secondary discourses--including those connected with the school--in their homes, due to their parents' lack of access to these discourses" (p. 9).   Clearly, exposure to literacy is vital and therefore, when defining literacy or what literacy can and will do within one's life, and within one's mental, social, and cultural landscape, it is also critical to understand that literacy, as noted by Brian Street is socially embedded and cannot be narrowly defined. 

Literacy is more than reading and so much more than writing; it is socially connected, ideologically embedded and cognitively linked state of understanding, state of knowing and state of being. Also, literacy is an evolving entity.  As society's needs change so does the concept of literacy change. But even within the evolution there will always be a revolution between those who have and those who have not.   To define literacy, one must first define the society in which the concept of literacy is in question.  I would imagine that each society's definition of literacy is mirrored in the values and needs of that particular society.  Brian Street states in his Introduction to Literacy and Development, "Literacy is a social practice, not simply a technical and neutral skill... It is about knowledge" the ways in w which people address reading and writing are themselves rooted in conceptions of knowledge, identity, and being. (p. 10).  Thus, literacy is always entrenched in the individual needs and the needs of the society--both from an ideological standpoint and a standpoint of power and privilege.

In thoughts about literacy, certain things are undeniable:  Literacy has an impact on the way we live, why we live, and how we live; how we acquire literacy varies; literacy is deep-rooted within who has power and who does not have power; and lastly, literacy is about relationships--relationships with the world and the people within it.