Literacy Myths, Legacies, and Lessons: New Studies on Literacy

by Harvey J. Graff

CoverPublished in 2011 by Transaction Publishers, Literacy Myths, Legacies, and Lessons continues Harvey J. Graff’s critical revisions of many commonly held ideas about literacy. The book speaks to central concerns about the place of literacy in modern and late-modern culture and society, and its complicated historical foundations. Drawing on other aspects of his research, Graff explores early 21st-century thinking and major concerns about literacy as well as the development of both historical and interdisciplinary studies. Special emphasis falls upon the usefulness of “the literacy myth” as an important subject for interdisciplinary study and understanding. Critical stock-taking of the field includes reflections on Graff’s own research and writings and the relationships that connect interdisciplinary rethinking and the literacy myth.

This volume is noteworthy for its attention to Graff’s reflections on his identification of “the literacy myth” and in developing LiteracyStudies@OSU (Ohio State University} as a model for university-wide interdisciplinary programs.

Table of Contents

Open the entire book: 5 MB

Front Matter

Foreword, Shirley Brice Heath

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. Many Literacies: Reading Signs of the Times

3. The Literacy Myth, co-authored with John Duffy

4. The Literacy Myth at Thirty

5. Assessing the History of Literacy: Themes and Questions

6. National Literacy Campaigns and Movements: Historical and Comparative Perspectives, co-authored with Robert F. Arnove

7. Literacy Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies: Reflections on History and Theory

8. LiteracyStudies@OSU as Theory and Practice

9. Bibliography of the History of Literacy in Western Europe and North America

Related Work

All works are by Harvey J. Graff unless otherwise noted.

10. The New Literacy Studies and the Resurgent Literacy Myth

Graff, H. J. (2022). The new literacy studies and the resurgent literacy myth. Literacy in Composition Studies, 9(1), 47–53. https://doi.org/10.21623/1.9.1.4

11. The Legacies of Literacy Studies

Graff, H. (2013). The legacies of literacy studies. Literacy in Composition Studies, 1(1), 15–17. https://doi.org/10.21623/1.1.1.4

12. An Interview with Harvey J. Graff & Brian Street, A. M. de Oliveira Galvão, M. C. Soares de Gouvêa, and A. M. Rabelo Gomes

de Oliveira Galvão, A. M., Soares de Gouvêa, M. C., & Rabelo Gomes, A. M. (2017). An interview with Harvey J. Graff & Brian Street. Literacy in Composition Studies, 5(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.21623/1.5.1.4

13. The Misrepresentation and Marketing of “Financial Literacy”: The Fallacies and Dangers of FL4ALL

Graff, H. J. (2022, January 23). The misrepresentation and marketing of “financial literacy”: The fallacies and dangers of FL4ALL. Columbus Free Press. https://columbusfreepress.com/article/busting-myths-misrepresentation-and-marketing-%E2%80%9Cfinancial-literacy%E2%80%9D-fallacies-and-dangers

14. Relocating Literacy in Higher Education

Graff, H. J. (2022, August 18). Relocating literacy in higher education. Academe Blog. https://academeblog.org/2022/08/18/relocating-literacy-in-higher-education/

15. The Ridiculous Proliferation of Subject “Literacies” is Harming Education

Graff, H. J. (2022, October 3). The ridiculous proliferation of subject “literacies” is harming education. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/ridiculous-proliferation-subject-literacies-harming-education

16. The Persistent “Reading Myth” and the “Crisis of the Humanities”

Graff, H. J. (2023). The persistent “reading myth” and the “crisis of the humanities.” College Composition and Communication, 74(2), 575-580. https://library.ncte.org/journals/CCC/issues/v74-3/32367

17. Book Banning Past and Present

Graff, H. J. (2022). Book banning past and present. Against the Current, 218 (May-June), 6-7. https://againstthecurrent.org/atc218/book-banning-past-and-present/

18. The Young Heroes of the Writing World: A new wave of very young authors is trying to change the world

Graff, H. J. (2023, June 16). The young heroes of the writing world: A new wave of very young authors is trying to change the world. Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/92567-the-young-heroes-of-the-writing-world.html

19. Book Banning and Education Restrictions: Our Moment of Rising Resistance

Graff, H. J. (2023). Book banning and education restrictions: Our moment of rising resistance. Against the Current, 225 (July-August), 8-10. https://againstthecurrent.org/atc225/our-movement-of-rising-resistance/

20. How Can You Recover Reading When There Was None? Part One

Graff, H. J. (2023, July 12). How can you recover reading when there was none? A revealing case study of academic dishonesty, capitalizing education, institutional and collegial collusion, and damage to children: The Ohio State University and Heinemann Publishing’s Fountas and Pinnell aka Reading Recovery, Part One. Columbus Free Press. https://columbusfreepress.com/article/how-can-you-recover-reading-when-there-was-none

21. The Ohio State University and Heinemann Publishing’s Fountas and Pinnell aka Reading Recovery, Part Two

Graff, H. J. (2023, July 17). The Ohio State University and Heinemann Publishing’s Fountas and Pinnell aka reading recovery, part two,” Columbus Free Press. https://columbusfreepress.com/article/ohio-state-university%E2%80%99s-and-heinemann-publishing%E2%80%99s-fountas-and-pinnell-aka-reading-recovery

22. How Can You Recover Reading When There Was None? Part Three

Graff, H. J. (2023, July 21). How can you recover reading when there was none? A revealing case study of academic dishonesty, capitalizing education, institutional and collegial collusion, and damage to children: The Ohio State University and Heinemann Publishing’s Fountas and Pinnell aka reading recovery, part three. Columbus Free Press. https://columbusfreepress.com/article/how-can-you-recover-reading-when-there-was-none-revealing-case-study-academic-dishonesty

Publication Information: Graff, Harvey J. (2023). Literacy Myths, Legacies, and Lessons: New Studies on Literacy. The WAC Clearinghouse. https://wac.colostate.edu/books/landmarks/literacy-legacies/ (Originally published in 2011 by Transaction Publishers)

Publication Date: September 24, 2023

Contact Information:
Harvey J. Graff: graff.40@osu.edu

Landmark Publications in Writing Studies

Series Editor: Mike Palmquist, Colorado State University

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