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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Literacy and Social Development in the Information Age: Redefining Possibilities in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author:Rassool, Naz
Year:1999
Periodical:Social Dynamics
Volume:25
Issue:1
Period:Winter
Pages:130-149
Language:English
Geographic term:Subsaharan Africa
Subjects:reading
Internet
development
literacy
Education and Oral Traditions
Development and Technology
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02533959908458665
Abstract:The past two decades have been marked by rapid changes in the field of information technology, in particular in the postindustrial world. However, a vast section of the developing world is still in the process of approximating the literacy and technical skills demands of the first industrial revolution. In addition, the text-dominated environment of the twenty-first century is ordered by powerful 'world' languages. The domination by world languages of global information sources such as the internet, and communication processes such as e-mail facilities, raises important questions about levels of access and information sharing. This paper juxtaposes the changing literacy demands of the information society with the skills and knowledge demands of the technological production process. In particular, it looks at the implications for literacy and development in sub-Saharan Africa and argues that the linear definitions of literacy inscribed into educational policies that form part of development programmes need to be reevaluated in terms of their adequacy in meeting the complex skills and knowledge demands of the technological development paradigm. Bibliogr.
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