ABSTRACT
Consider the following from an adult literacy perspective: Exiled Afghan women NGOs use the Afghan Women Network to negotiate new gender roles, arguing that access to education and full economic participation will support Islam and reduce ethnic division (Rostami-Povey, 2007); prisoners in Ireland are given voting rights and responsibilities (Behan & O’Donnell, 2008); children of Sudanese refugees act as brokers to help parents understand the purpose of a school yearbook (Perry, 2009); the President’s Council of Economic Advisors identifi es skills needed for emerging jobs in healthcare and green technologies (PCEA, 2009). These phenomena illustrate the social, economic and cultural fl ux that situates adult literacy practices. Conversely, as a cultural tool for reading the world and sharing understandings, literacy mediates this fl ux.
