Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading

This paper describes how a brief example of an apparently ‘non-educational’ document, from the year 1792, can be used as part of a discussion about reading practices during that period. One of the threads informing my argument is the idea that if we break away from school and teacher-based sources f...

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Main Author: Steven Cowan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University College London 2006-04-01
Series:Educate~
Online Access:http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php?journal=educate&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=40
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spelling doaj-42dd5aedc53b43bc8dfc4d62f94344672020-11-24T22:16:21ZengUniversity College London Educate~1477-55572006-04-01428085Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of readingSteven CowanThis paper describes how a brief example of an apparently ‘non-educational’ document, from the year 1792, can be used as part of a discussion about reading practices during that period. One of the threads informing my argument is the idea that if we break away from school and teacher-based sources for our histories of education and learning, we might discover things we were not previously aware of. The view is informed by a perspective that brings to the fore the material contexts in which reading and associated skills such as listening and remembering took place. My historical focus is the period of the early industrial revolution in England when ‘literacy’ rates had started to increase to such an extent that the use of the term ‘mass’ literacy becomes both possible and appropriate. http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php?journal=educate&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=40
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Steven Cowan
spellingShingle Steven Cowan
Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
Educate~
author_facet Steven Cowan
author_sort Steven Cowan
title Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
title_short Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
title_full Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
title_fullStr Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
title_full_unstemmed Introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
title_sort introducing new sources of evidence into the history of reading
publisher University College London
series Educate~
issn 1477-5557
publishDate 2006-04-01
description This paper describes how a brief example of an apparently ‘non-educational’ document, from the year 1792, can be used as part of a discussion about reading practices during that period. One of the threads informing my argument is the idea that if we break away from school and teacher-based sources for our histories of education and learning, we might discover things we were not previously aware of. The view is informed by a perspective that brings to the fore the material contexts in which reading and associated skills such as listening and remembering took place. My historical focus is the period of the early industrial revolution in England when ‘literacy’ rates had started to increase to such an extent that the use of the term ‘mass’ literacy becomes both possible and appropriate.
url http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php?journal=educate&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=40
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