ABSTRACT
Underlying the common view of literacy there tends to be an assumption that it is something which is unvarying and unitary but this is challenged by an alternative, pluralist view of literacy. Both the unitary and pluralist views provide undoubted insights as well as raising conceptual difficulties. Can they be reconciled? In this chapter it is suggested that they stem from two different conceptions – of literacy as a skill and of literacy as a social practice. Each conception is valid but neither on its own is sufficient for understanding literacy in education. Implications for thinking about the literacy curriculum are considered.
