Literacies and translanguaging in Africa: A critical review of sociocultural perspectives

Abstract

Constructions of language and literacy have significant implications for power relations, equity and access to material and symbolic resources in education and in society. This article examines the theoretical and practical contributions of New Literacy Studies,  multiliteracies and translanguaging to language and literacy education in Africa, examining implications of these frameworks for pedagogy, curriculum and broader issues of equity in society. Each of these sociocultural perspectives centres issues of power, each seeks to lessen the linguistic, cultural and epistemological distance between home and school, and each conceives of language and literacy as being about meaning making and communication more than decontextualised technical skills and standardised forms. Drawing on diverse Africa-based research, this article argues that the similarities and differences in these orientations translate into significant concrete implications for policy, curriculum and pedagogy. This article points to future directions for both educational practice and research,  highlighting possibilities for bringing these perspectives more fruitfully into dialogue with each other. It also explores how these African perspectives of language and literacy might contribute to global conversations of literacy as social practice, multiliteracies and  translanguaging, as we strive towards language and literacy education that promotes equity and social transformation in diverse 21st century contexts.