This week’s readings explore the effects of globalization on education and literacy, and the role of language and education practices in a globalized, capitalist world. While national and regional languages are still the concern, scholars are also turning to study the rise of new discourses in a “globalized” economy.

All the authors would agree that literacy is seen as tied to labor and profit in a globalized, “hypercapitalist” environment. Thus, language and literacy practices are constantly being managed. Luke laments education’s turn from being a public good to a private and tradable good. But I wonder if education ever fulfilled its promise of being a public good. We want education to be a public good enjoyed by everyone in the state, but based on the definition of “public good” (which is, a good that is both non-excludable and non-rivalous), I wonder if there’s a need to revise this assumption. More broadly speaking, it also raises a question of how strictly/loosely are we mobilizing economic frameworks and metaphors.

I find Luke, Luke and Graham’s examination of the “new critical literacy” relevant to the contemporary context, given that “critical thinking” is hailed as the pinnacle of academic achievement, especially in liberal arts schools. The authors conclude, “An agenda of critical literacy that remains focused on a critique of the state and the struggle for voice, without working toward a broader analysis of the corporation and corporatism is inherently limited” (12). This makes me reflect on the way I “teach” critical thinking in my classes. What are the limits in the teaching of critical thinking skills? How can we instill (a healthy dose of) hope in the process of teaching critical literacy, which often involves highlighting the limitations of a system?

Finally, I want to compare to the time period where Luke was writing (early 2000s) with where we are now (2020) The population of international students in US and Australian universities is shrinking. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-finds-fewer-foreign-undergraduates-in-us-colleges–the-first-drop-in-13-years/2019/11/16/f20bdffe-07e4-11ea-818c-fcc65139e8c2_story.html) and https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/chinese-students-have-already-stopped-coming-coming-to-australia-20190821-p52jhf). How would Carmen Luke explain or make sense of this phenomenon? Are the markets saturated?