1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910633916603321

Autore

Lyons Martyn

Titolo

The History of Illiteracy in the Modern World Since 1750 / / by Martyn Lyons

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2022

ISBN

9783031092619

9783031092602

Edizione

[1st ed. 2022.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (119 pages)

Disciplina

302.2244

Soggetti

Social history

Civilization - History

History, Modern

Education - History

Literacy

Social History

Cultural History

Modern History

History of Education

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 109-113) and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Introduction: Illiteracy Myths -- 2. The War on Illiteracy -- 3. Illiteracy and Power -- 4. Illiteracy and Schooling -- 5. The Literary Culture of the Illiterate -- 6. The Literary Continuum.

Sommario/riassunto

This Palgrave Pivot examines the history of literacy with illiterate and semi-literate people in mind, and questions the clear division between literacy and illiteracy which has often been assumed by social and economic historians. Instead, it turns the spotlight on all those in-between, the millions who had some literacy skills, but for whom reading and writing posed difficulties. Its main focus is on those we have often labelled ‘illiterates’, rather than those who enjoyed full competence in reading and writing in modern society. In offering a historical perspective on the ‘problem’ of illiteracy in the modern world, it also questions some enduring myths surrounding the phenomenon.



This book therefore has a revisionist objective: it intends to challenge conventional wisdom about illiteracy. Martyn Lyons is Professor Emeritus in History at the University of New South Wales, Australia.