Literacies in the Social Domain of Religion or Religious Literacies? Conceptual Tensions in Literacy Studies

Abstract

Literacy Studies, in their sociocultural perspective, have enabled investigations beyond the school context, recognizing the existence of multiple social practices of reading and writing across different social domains. In Brazil, this perspective has fostered the growth of research investigating literacy practices in religious contexts. However, despite the empirical expansion of the field, the conceptions and analytical categories used to identify, name, and understand such practices remain insufficiently problematized. In this context, this article aims to problematize the notions of literacy employed in studies on literacy and religion, discussing their limits, potentialities, and analytical effects. Methodologically, the study revisits the field’s theoretical assumptions and draws on data from a systematic survey of research published between 2009 and 2022 on literacy and religion. The analysis shows that the choice of conceptions and categories is not neutral, entailing relevant epistemological implications for the interpretation of the investigated social practices. By recognizing the polysemy of the term literacy, embedded in different conceptions, and by advocating for a context-sensitive and critical use of these notions, the article contributes to the conceptual refinement of the field and to the broadening of the debate on literacy practices in religious contexts in Brazil.