Literacy studies is a growing field within applied linguistics, education and media studies. Despite the field"s new prominence, current treatments are often weighed toward a particular view or approach. In this book Randal Holme searches for a more balanced understanding, arguing that literacy must be examined through a variety of approaches if we are to appreciate its true nature. Literacy also cannot be described simply as a situated, social activity, but it is a property of mind.The book will help the reader understand some of the currents of thought -- -post-modernist, cognitivist, or Vygotskian -- on which its larger analysis is based. Written in an engaging and lucid style, it contains a glossary and exercises to help and develop the reader"s understanding.