Imagining Literacy: the Gremlin, the Matrix and other Triumphal Tales

I will discuss the ways in which the semiotic resources of metaphor, visual images, number and testimonial narratives are combined to produce powerful imaginaries that circulate widely in the media, government and popular discourse. These are used to advocate for and justify policy interventions into citizens lives while obscuring the powerful co-ordinating role of literacy in the relations of ruling.