1st Edition

Literacy and Growth A Genealogy of English Teaching

By John Hodgson, Ann Harris Copyright 2025
226 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

226 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

226 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Literacy and Growth is a unique genealogical study of English teaching in the UK and abroad since the 18 th century. Focusing specifically on the concepts of literacy and growth, this book explores key moments in the development of ideas about English teaching. Hodgson and Harris reveal the Enlightenment forebears of such contemporary concepts as “cultural capital” and “critical literacy”;... Read more

1. Growth

2. The Origins of Modern English Education

3. Culture of the Feelings?  Literacy And Education in the Industrial Revolution

4. Romantic Developmentalism: The Colonial Genealogy of The Newbolt Report

5. The Genealogy and Legacy Of ‘Cambridge English’

6. Ancestral Voices: The Dartmouth Debates

7. The Genealogy of the “London School”

8. Literacy, Politics and Culture in the Late 20th Century

9. What Every English Student Should Know? The Genealogy of ‘Cultural Literacy’

10. Literacy and Growth – Into the Future

Biography

John Hodgson is Editor of English in Education. He taught English in secondary schools and  Cultural and Media Studies at the University of the West of England, UK.

Ann Harris is Professor Emerita of International Education at the University of Huddersfield, UK. She was formerly Head of English and Media in a large sixth form college.

“This really is a genealogical exploration of English education – this is the history of every English teacher and where we came from. Tracing the patterns and evolutions of thought about literacy and literature education, it is saturated with knowledge.”

 Victoria Elliott, Associate Professor of English and Literacy Education, University of Oxford, UK


“A fascinating, timely and important (English) curriculum story, well told, this innovative book about English teaching today ranges from the Scottish Enlightenment to Dartmouth and beyond. The authors are to be congratulated on creatively and comprehensively opening up the view, in a way that enriches scholarship and pedagogy alike. Required reading for 21st century English teaching.”

Bill Green, Professor Emeritus , Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia