Abstract
ABSTRACT In this article, we problematize literacy issues in the current context of instability and uncertainties generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, from its social, political and educational impacts. Our discussion will focus on fictional vignettes that we composed based on real stories circulating in the media and social networks, and marked (but not restricted to) by the intense use of digital technologies. Our aim is to formulate questions about the relationship among society, literacy, technology and education, which have been of primary concern to us as teachers and researchers of languages and literacy. We do not intend to offer definitive answers or solutions, but only to suggest research paths for studies in literacy and Applied Linguistics, in light of concepts such as multiplicity, emotions, rhizome and nomadic thought.
Highlights
We are all going through crises of some sort, everywhere, all the time
For professionals working in the field of education, the pandemic has posed a number of challenging questions, perhaps the most pressing of which is how to harness digital technologies to salvage the academic year
We can only hope that remote learning mediated by digital technologies can help to minimise the problems caused by the worldwide disruption of formal schooling programmes. These technologies can hardly be considered a panacea to all our educational problems, some of which aggravated by the pandemic
Summary
We are all going through crises of some sort, everywhere, all the time. From personal, existential, midlife crises to those affecting people on a vast scale, with far-reaching and long-standing effects that could span years or even decades. The stories that inspired these vignettes capture the sense of displacement, loss or disorientation, and hope and perseverance, connected to people’s attempts to engage in remote education or exchange information using digital tools during the pandemic These attempts are taking place against a backdrop of severe political and economic instability in Brazil, affecting people’s lives on every level and forcing them to devise alternative strategies for study and work – often with recourse to digital technologies – as well as grappling with the challenge of juggling multiple chores, or negotiating with different views and expectations. We rely on authors that focus on literacy (especially digital, critical and emotional), such as Barcelos (2015), Junqueira; Buzato (2013), Lankshear and Knobel (2008), Matthews (2006) and Menezes de Souza (2019a, 2019b) among others
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