Schooled literacies? The use of vernacular literacy practices in Papua New Guinean communities

This paper describes an epistemological journey that explores taken-for-granted assumptions about literacy, empowerment, and the literate/illiterate dichotomy. I draw on Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) descriptions of knowledge systems as rhizomatic to explore the connections between these assumptions and the implementation of vernacular education in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Specifically, the paper deals with the relationship between literacy and empowerment, the symbiotic attachments of L1 and L2 literacy learning, and the Vgotskyian connections between literacy and sociocultural practices. I draw on my work with primary school teachers in PNG to provide illustrations and examples of the practical implications of the unquestioned acceptance of these assumptions by educational policy makers, academics and literacy researchers.17 page(s