This introduction to the expanding field of literacy studies has been fully revised for the second edition. It explores recent developments and new research that has contributed to our understanding of literacy practices, reflecting on the interdisciplinary growth of the study of reading and writing over the past decade.

Preface. Preface to first edition. Chapter 1. An Integrated Approach to Literacy. Introduction. Literacy in Everyday Life. The Study of Literacy. Outline of the Book. Chapter 2. Talking About Literacy. Metaphors for Literacy. Theories and Metaphors. Metaphors and thinking. Definitions of Literacy. Literacy Studies. Looking for a metaphor. The ecological metaphor. Chapter 3. The Social Basis of Literacy. Practices and Events. Literacies and Domains. Broader Social Relations. Literacy as Communication. Literacy as Thought. Values and Awareness. Individual History. Social History. Chapter 4. Researching Literacy Practices. Researching Literacy as Social Practice. Research Methods. Local and Community Literacy Practices. Multilingual Literacy Practices. Literacy is Gendered. Workplace Literacy Practices. The Social Patterning of Literacy Practices. Chapter 5. Literacy Embedded in Language. Literacy and Language. From registers to genres and discourses. Texts and intertextuality. Taking Meaning from Texts. Language Mediates. Chapter 6. Configurations of Language. Written and Spoken Language are Different. Continua from Written to Spoken. Configurations of Language. Decontextualized and Explicit?. Chapter 7. Writing Systems and Other Notations. Writing Systems. Comparing writing systems. Other Notations. Chapter 8. Points in History. Introduction. The Archaeology of Literacy. What is writing?. Earlier forms of symbolic representation. Early uses of writing. Literacy and Historical Change. Writing as evolution. Evolution towards the alphabet?. Contact and change. A Social History of Literacy. The development of printing. The development of a literate culture. Chapter 9. The Roots of Literacy. Introduction. Approaches to Learning. Learning to Speak. Chapter 10. Emergent Literacy. Reading to Children. Literacy Events. Writing. Knowing about Literacy. Chapter 11. Public Definitions of Literacy. The Skill of Reading. Writer as Scribe and as Author. The Literary View of Literacy. The Professional Writer. Chapter 12. School Practices. Introduction. What Goes On in Schools. Talk around texts. From home to school. Literacy as Language. Chapter 13. Adults and World Literacy. Introduction. Functional Literacy. Not Literate in a Literate World. Industrialized Countries. Language Issues in Adult Literacy. Chapter 14. Some Implications of an Ecological View. Literacy in Education. Global Literacy. Notes. References. Index.

Exploring recent developments and new research that have contributed to our understanding of literacy practices, this book provides a rounded introduction to the growing field of literacy studies. David Barton reflects on the interdisciplinary growth of the study of reading and writing over the past decade, distinguishing between the competing definitions of literacy in contemporary society, and examining the language and learning theories which underpin them. Since the publication of the first edition there have been many detailed studies of literacy practices in different settings. This second edition brings the book up to date by summarizing this new research, and showing how it has contributed to our understanding of literacy. The second edition now features a new section on how literacy research is carried out, and explores the use of new technologies. Additional material on cross-cultural perspectives, extensive references to new research, and information detailing current educational policy are also included.

1. An integrated approach to literacy. 2. Talking about literacy. 3. The social basis of literacy. 4. Researching Literacy Practices. 5. Literacy embedded in language. 6. Configurations of language. 7. Writing systems and other notations. 8. Points in history. 9. The roots of literacy. 10. Emergent literacy. 11. Public definitions of literacy. 12. School practices. 13. Adults and world literacy. 14. Some implications of an ecological view.