Translating Literacy as Global Policy and Advocacy

Abstract

This column engages readers in reflexivity about the uses and meanings of literacy from a global perspective. Relying on the author's own experiences and current multilingual research, Mora discusses the issue of translating literacy into policy and advocacy. The first idea about translation tackles the importance of translating current ideas and trends about literacy as epistemological, not instrumental, matters. The second idea looks at the ongoing debates related to translating the word literacy and the current trends around it into other languages. The author argues that rather than looking at mere translations of words from English to other languages, the translations are looking more deeply at the epistemological issues that today's discussions of literacy entail.

Awakening Sociocultural Realities in Pre-service Teachers Through a Pedagogy of Multiliteracies

“…There have been studies about literacies developed in the national Colombian context which urge to develop literacy practices that include local knowledge (Sharkey, 2012) and raise awareness on social and educational issues (Clavijo, 2000(Clavijo, , 2003(Clavijo, , 2007Correa, 2010;Mora, 2011Mora, , 2012Mora, , 2014Mora, , 2015Mora, , 2016Rincon & Clavijo, 2016). Clavijo (2000) as well as Mora (2011) have led the study of literacies, generating in-depth reflection on literacy practices in Colombia.…”

“…There is also a call for literacy with a purpose, to reflect upon critical consciousness, ideology in textbooks and to foster agency, including city literacies that transform individuals through reflection and advocacy (Mora, 2014(Mora, , 2015(Mora, , 2016. Rincon and Clavijo (2016) implemented Community Based Pedagogies as a way to bring literacies closer to students' local realities.…”

Calling for a Global Turn to Inform Digital Literacies Education

“…Our work brings Global South voices into digital literacies research and practice as a matter of justice because continuing to ignore their perspectives “reinforce[s] hierarchies of thought, knowledge, and belief systems” (Trigos‐Carrillo & Rogers, 2017, p. 384). We take up Mora’s (2016) charge to not simply translate digital literacy theories and instructional practices from English‐speaking countries into Indonesia. Rather, as he advocated, we collaborate to honor local culture and ways of knowing.…”

Criticality and English Language Education: An Autoethnographic Journey

“…My views on criticality have also surfaced in how I frame my scholarly positionality as a scholar from and in the Global South (Mora, Cañas, Rosas Chávez, Rocha, & Maciel, 2020). I have advocated in my own work and publications (and even in my recent efforts in international associations, including my incoming three-year appointment to the Literacy Research Association Board of Directors starting December 2021) for a view of the Global South as knowledge creators and not just as vessels receiving knowledge from the Global North (Mora et al, 2021a), but always advocating for dialogic and not reactionary views of the relationship between North and South where we invite the North, recalling some of Vanilla Ice's lyrics, to "stop, collaborate, and listen" as we create fruitful global relationships and think of better ways for us in the South to engage in refined forms of glocal advocacy (Mora, 2016a) that also include the multiple languages and Englishes at play in our regions (Mora, 2016b). Fourth Epiphany: December 2018, Indian Wells, CA I have an ongoing tradition at the Literacy Research Association annual meeting where I meet for coffee with my mentor, Prof. Willis, before the conference begins.…”

“…We cannot think of critical literacy (or criticality for that matter) as instrumentality. It is life epistemology (Mora, 2016b); it is an ethos that begets techniques. If English language education wants to continue that progression toward real criticality, this is the first step we all must take: We need to understand that criticality as an everyday thing, rather than an add-on that we sprinkle on our lessons.…”