What Is Literacy for? A Critical Perspective

Abstract

Last year I was a Visiting Lecturer in the Aboriginal Studies Program at Armidale C.A.E. Before lectures began, I was invited by the College to a dinner honoring recently graduated Aboriginal students. At that dinner a number of graduates were introduced and invited to comment about their experiences in tertiary education. As each graduate spoke, it became apparent that many had shared similar experiences. For instance, many confided that they were initially very apprehensive about enrolling in formal schooling. Their apprehension was due to a sense of self-doubt as to whether they were willing to make the necessary sacrifices, as well as to a shared premonition that, as one student commented, “for most Aboriginal people, going through formal schooling is like taking a journey into the unknown.”