Critical Literacy : Politics, Praxis, and the Postmodern

A provocative collection that redefines literacy as a political and transformative practice, challenging readers to see reading and writing as tools for questioning power and advancing social change. What does it mean to be literate in a world shaped by power, culture, and contestation? Critical Literacy brings together some of the most influential voices in literacy studies to confront this urgent question head-on. Edited by Colin Lankshear and Peter L. McLaren, Critical Literacy reimagines literacy not as a neutral skill, but as a deeply political practice—one that can either reproduce systems of domination or become a powerful tool for liberation. Bridging theory and practice, the contributors explore how literacy operates across diverse contexts: from classrooms and communities to media, gender, culture, and revolutionary movements. Engaging with postmodern perspectives and critical pedagogy, the essays challenge readers to interrogate taken-for-granted assumptions about knowledge, language, and democracy. From ethnographic insights and feminist critiques to analyses of media and popular education, this collection opens new pathways for understanding literacy as a site of struggle and possibility. Provocative, timely, and transformative, this book invites educators, researchers, and activists alike to rethink literacy as a dynamic force in shaping more just and democratic futures.