Writing in Society

The broad range of elements that are explored includes:

• the cultural diversity of book and print cultures
• the intersection of manuscript and text with the digital
• writing and sustainability
• the decolonisation of writing
• literate and literary networks
• advocacy for literacy and writing education
• inclusion and access to written culture
• writing and disability
• the social impact of writing in the community and children’s literature

We pose questions such as: what is the role of writing in diverse forms of communication?

In what way is writing and book culture a key feature of institutions? What is the cognitive dimension of writing? How do we understand the interface of writing and speech? And how do sociolinguistic landscapes relate to written culture?

As well as taking a scholarly approach to these wide-reaching issues, the strand places particular emphasis on public engagement, outreach, and praxis. Research from a range of disciplinary perspectives spans historical and contemporary periods and is approached through a national, transnational and multilingual framework.