Literalität als soziale Praxis. Bedeutungen von Schriftsprachlichkeit

The article presents findings of an ethnographical research project concerning the international concept of literacy as social practice. In this project, literacy was analyzed from an individual and a public point of view, focusing on its multidimensional uses and purposes in everyday life. Referring to a broader understanding of literacy as social practice, the study aims at initiating a discussion concerning the purpose and use of literacy among adult educators and practitioners in literacy classes. Overcoming the restricted understanding of literacy as a functional skill, which then leads to certain implications like inclusion or exclusion from economic life or social and political participation, different individual approaches to literacy should be appreciated in their individual and social significance.