Mapping Multiple Literacies: An Introduction to Deleuzian Literacy Studies

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Mapping Multiple Literacies brings together the latest theory and research in the fields of literacy study and European philosophy, Multiple Literacies Theory (MLT) and the philosophical work of Gilles Deleuze. It frames the process of becoming literate as a fluid process involving multiple modes of presentation, and explains these processes in terms of making maps of our social lives and ways of doing things together. For Deleuze, language acquisition is a social activity of which we are a part, but only one part amongst many others. Masny and Cole draw on Deleuze's thinking to expand the repertoires of literacy research and understanding. They outline how we can understand literacy as a social activity and map the ways in which becoming literate may take hold and transform communities. The chapters in this book weave together theory, data and practice to open up a creative new area of literacy studies and to provoke vigorous debate about the sociology of literacy.

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Rarely does a book capture my attention as this one has done. Mapping Multiple Literacies: An Introduction to Deleuzian Literacy Studies is a treatise of great proportions that is both accessible and useful in terms of what the literacy teacher, researcher, and theorist will find interesting. It is a book that will grace the syllabi of several courses I teach in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. * Donna Alvermann, UGA Appointed Distinguished Research Professor in Language and Literacy Education, University of Georgia, USA *
[The authors present] a good balance between literacy practices and theories, as well as Deleuzian literacy. Their mapping offers a dynamic illustration of Deleuze's plane of immanence. Deleuzian concepts are strongly re-territorialized within the geography' of multiple literacies including text, power, media, affect, groups and pedagogical relationships . A good introduction to how Deleuze operates and a strong contribution to what Deleuze brings to literacy. Teachers and scholars will benefit from this creative articulation. * Jacques Daignault, Professor of Education, University of Quebec at Rimouski, Canada *
Masny and Cole offer an innovative and entertaining perspective on literacy studies, from the novel perspective of Gilles Deleuze's philosophy. Deleuze has been more often associated with literary studies, but Masny and Cole mine his theories of affect and difference to illuminate the multiplicity of subjectivities and practices associated with literacy. The result is an intriguing tour amongst the diverse ideas about the field, as their Deleuzian map unfolds. * David Rose, Director, Reading to Learn, Australia *

Author Bio

Diana Masny is Professor Emerita at the University of Ottawa, Canada and Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. David R. Cole is Associate Professor in Education at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.