James Paul Gee Literacy Summary

In the article “What is Literacy” James Paul Gee connects the term “literacy” with the term “discourse.” In doing so, he implies that literacy is a powerful communication tool. In the society in which we live, communication is the ability to send a clear message to the other members of our society. The communication process is complete once the other members of our society understand our message. Messages are send out using “discourses.”

Discourses interact with other discourses to form the "identity kit" of the members of a group and of a society. Therefore, literacy is made of established discourses shared by members of the same group and of the same society.

"It is sometimes helpful to say that it is not individuals who speak and act,

but rather historically and socially defined discourses speak to each other through individuals. The individual instantiates gives body to a discourse every time he acts or speaks and carries thus it, and ultimately it changes through time.” (What is literacy, James Paul Gee)
From this, we may deduce that literacy varies from society to society and discourses change depending on the traditions, customs, and beliefs carried by societies. Therefore, every society has its own unique discourses based on traditions, values, and beliefs.
There are two type of discourses primary and secondary.

“Literacy is control of secondary use of language.” (What is literacy, James Paul Gee)

From this definition of the term “literacy,” and from the article, we may deduct that primary discourses do not use meta-intelligence because they are only used within the group of people who have taught them. Therefore, the knowledge gained from primary discourses--if the discourses are kept inside the group of people who has taught us-- do not evolve into additional knowledge. Instead, secondary discourses help in gaining additional knowledge outside our primary group.

Take as an example a family in the US who has decided to adopt a thirteen years old boy from a tribe. In this case, secondary discourses must be acquired and learned by the teen so he may interact with his new family and be an active member of his new society. If we consider the standard and demands of our society, the teen might be viewed as illiterate because he does not know how to use and control secondary use of language. However, by his tribal society, he may be considered as literate because he knows how to master secondary discourses. Therefore, literacy is not a static definition but a dynamic concept that vary from society to

society