Cultural Literacy

Elizabeth M. Fathman

E. D. Hirsch, Jr., published the national bestseller Cultural Literacy in 1987, thereby sparking a lively debate about the value and desirability of a national educational canon. This debate was based, in part, on an incomplete understanding of Hirsch's proposition; nevertheless, many concluded that the foundation of his argument was rooted in a privileging of the educational worldview of the White, Protestant, and male. A few years later, Terence Thornberry and then Larry Siegel and Marvin Zalman published separate articles on cultural literacy within the study of criminology and criminal justice, respectively. Their arguments were similarly met with criticism for the perceived overreliance on the works of White male scholars in their respective fields. This entry defines cultural literacy in the general sense, discusses the nature of the criticism against it, then turns to the specific cultural literacies of criminology and criminal justice, along with the criticism against them. Cultural ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.