Of interest to students of literacy, education, planning, and policy studies and cross-cultural analysis, this book examines the cultural and political dynamics underlying literacy. Case studies focusing on the historical role of literacy and the maintenance or suppression of marginal groups are complemented in the book by reports of data on access to literacy competence for various sub-national minority groups. Issues discussed in the book are framed by close attention to educational, policy, popular, or media accounts of literacy. Chapters in the book are: (1) "Introduction: Explanations of the Current International 'Literacy Crises'" (Anthony R. Welch and Peter Freebody); (2) "Literacy Strategies: A View from the International Literacy Year Secretariat of UNESCO" (Leslie J. Limage); (3) "The Pen and the Sword: Literacy, Education and the Revolution in Kurdistan" (Amir Hassanpour); (4) "Aboriginal Education in Northern Australia: A Case Study of Literacy Policies and Practices" (Christine Walton); (5) "Rights and Expectations in an Age of 'Debt Crisis': Literacy and Integral Human Development in Papua New Guinea" (Naihuwo Ahai and Nicholas Faraclas); (6) "Literacy and Primary Education in India" (Krishna Kumar); (7) "Adult Literacy in Nicaragua 1979-90" (Colin Lankshear); (8) "Literacy and the Dynamics of Language Planning: The Case of Singapore" (Anna Kwan-Terry and John Kwan-Terry); (9) "'The Troubled Text': History and Language in American University Basic Writing Programs" (James Collins); (10) "Workplace Literacy in Australia: Competing Agenda" (Peter O'Connor); and (11) "Individualization and Domestication in Current Literacy Debates in Australia" (Peter Freebody and Anthony R. Welch). (RS)