Moving beyond 'English and literacy' to 'English literacies': Bringing together the study of texts and social practices

Abstract

This article is written in the context of English literacy, opening the terrain for new debates about the relationship between English and literacy, and offers a brief discussion of different viewpoints and research-based notions of curriculum literacies. The author examines English literacies in terms of: identifying competing constructions of English, showing how they have implications for what is understood by literacy-English relationship; challenging assumptions about what is meant by the term literacy and interaction with the curriculum; engaging reading in consideration of English literacies; proposing a new framework for exploring English literacies in classroom practice; and re-asserting the centrality of English curriculum in schooling.