"The New Literacy Studies"

By: Teresa Espinosa

Street discusses two theories regarding Literacy. One of which is called, The "autonomous" model and two called the "idealogical" model. What I think the autonomous model means is that speech is free from outside influences in most cultures and text is written freely without orality. I didn't quite understand the autonomy model, however, the Idealogical model is more of a power structure of language. He states, " Any ethnographic account of literacy will, by implication, attest it's significance for power, authority, and social differentiation..."(434). This model understands cultural wholes whereas the autonmous model does not.

Street writes about many reasearches and studies in Literacy and how the social context and culture plays a role in aqcuiring literacy.