literacies

Literacies is a term used in education and cultural studies to describe the range of competences required to interpret, create, and participate in communication across contexts. While literacy originally referred to the ability to read and write, the plural form literacies emphasizes domain-specific and socially situated practices. It encompasses language skills alongside critical thinking, information handling, and ethical use of content in spoken, written, and visual forms.

A variety of literacies have been identified, including traditional literacy, digital literacy, information literacy, media literacy, financial literacy, health literacy, scientific literacy, cultural literacy, civic literacy, and data literacy. Some scholars advocate multiliteracies, a framework that foregrounds multiple modes of meaning (text, image, sound, gesture) and the role of technology and design in learning. The field of literacy studies treats literacies as social practices embedded in institutions, communities, and power relations, rather than mere technical skills.

In practice, literacies guide education, workforce training, and civic engagement. They are taught and assessed in schools, libraries, workplaces, and online settings, and they vary across cultures and contexts. Equity and access concerns—such as the digital divide and language diversity—shape opportunities to develop literacies. As technologies and media landscapes evolve, the set of recognized literacies expands, making literacy a dynamic, lifelong pursuit rather than a single, static skill.