Literacy and Cultural Identity

Abstract

In this article, Bernardo Ferdman argues that cultural diversity has significant implications for the processes of becoming and being literate. He explores these connections by analyzing the relationship between literacy and cultural identity in a multiethnic society such as the United States. Ferdman asserts that literacy is culturally framed and defined; therefore,members of different cultures will differ in what they view as literate behavior. This, in turn, can influence how individuals engage in literacy acquisition and activity. He further argues that the type and content of literacy education that individuals receive can influence their cultural identity. He concludes by arguing that the connections between literacy and culture must be fully acknowledged and better understood in order to achieve the goal of literacy acquisition for all.

Teaching literacy in a time of environmental crisis

“…We are interested in how learning areas use texts (spoken, visual, written, and performed) and subjectspecific practices of meaning making to communicate ecological values (see Kalantzis & Cope, 2012, for a framework of different modes of making meaning). Literacy is already firmly established as being about culture (Ferdman, 1990;Hirsch, 1987), but we argue that a more holistic understanding of literacy is about nature and environment too. The work of Australian educator Bill Green has been helpful in conceptualising a holistic and ecological vision of 3D literacy" which we have adapted and developed alongside teacher-researchers in the project (Green, 1988;Green & Beavis, 2012).…”

“…We already know that literacy is not just a technical fix and that it involves learning attitudes, values, and knowledge and culture (Ferdman, 1990). Literacy connects to identity, and this is well established in relation to children's cultural and digital identities (see Gee, 2003).…”

Comparison of heavy episodic drinking patterns between Korean and Chinese immigrants

“…Language use has been utilized to justify acculturation in past research (Ferdman, 1990;Finch, Frank, & Vega, 2004).…”

Social Justice, Pedagogy and Multiliteracies: Developing Communities of Practice for Teacher Education

“…Supporters of a socio-cultural perspective of literacy argue that a close relationship exists between cognitive skills, cultural technology and societal institutions through which understandings and practices are developed (Dooley, 2008;Ferdman, 1990;Heath, 1983;Luke, 1993). The individual is studied systematically within the social environment, with literacy defined as a social and historical construction that evolves dynamically.…”