The Politics of Writing

In modern society, the written word plays a key role in the circulation of ideas and has a direct impact on the development of democracy. This engaging book explores the role and status of writing and challenges the current social context that allows the few to write for the many. Drawing on critical liguistics, cultural studies and literary studies, the authors analyze the processes and practices of writing, the social context in which writing is embedded, the reader-writer relationship, and issues of identity. Finally, the authors take aim at norms of "correctness," and argue for a more democratic pedagogy and an equitable distribution of the right to write.

Writing matters: it plays a key role in the circulation of ideas in society and has a direct impact on the development of democracy. But only a few get to do the kind of writing that most influence this development. The Politics of Writing examines writing as a social practice. The authors draw on critical linguistics, cultural studies and literacy studies, as they explore and analyse: * the social context in which writing is embedded * the processes and practices of writing * the purposes of writing * the reader-writer relationship * issues of writer identity. They challenge current notions of 'correctness' and argue for a more democratic pedagogy as part of the answer to the inequitable distribution of the right to write.

Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Writing, Politics and Power; Chapter 3 Writing and Social Context; Chapter 4 Writing Processes and Practices; Chapter 5 Why Write?; Chapter 6; Chapter 7 The Role of the Reader in Writing; Chapter 8 Issues of Correctness and Standardisation in Writing; Chapter 9 Social and Educational Implications of Our View of Writing;

Romy Clark coordinates the Academic Support Programme at Lancaster University.