Literacy is an individual competence that is critical for social participation. It is key to education, employment, health, rights and well-being. Yet, this key is not a singular entity, not least in contemporary differentiated societies marked by migration; it is complex as it involves multiple languages, registers, modalities, as well as different technologies and formats. In a highly mobile and interconnected world, migration and digitalization have collided to fundamentally transform what it means to be literate.
These emerging complex multilingual, multilectal, and multimodal literacies may be poorly matched to the literacy requirements of institutions with a monolingual habitus (Gogolin, 1994), where literacy practices in one dominant, standard language prevail. The resulting communication gaps can threaten access, equity, inclusion, and cost-effectiveness, and hence constitute a real barrier to social justice (Piller, 2016).
As all contemporary societies are affected by migration and digitalization, with individuals facing the barriers and opportunities associated with multilingualism, this summer school offers an internationally oriented curriculum to outstanding masters and doctoral students.
The core learning aims are:
1) to enhance knowledge on literacy and learner diversity;
2) to trace tendencies that go beyond one national, regional or local context;
3) to examine literacy development across the life-course;
4) to critically discuss the implications of research findings for policy and practice.
The learning goals will be achieved across five core modules with required reading:
1) Literacy across the lifespan;
2) Institutional settings;
3) Research methods in social literacies;
4) Academic skills;
5) Independent course work.
Participants of the Summer School can earn 3 Credit Points with additional work.
Doctoral Symposium - Literacies for Social Participation (27. - 28.07.2026)
If you are a PhD student researching in the field of multilingual literacy development and social participation, you are also cordially invited to present your research at the doctoral symposium Literacies for Social Participation at the University of Hamburg on 27-28 July 2026. The Doctoral Symposium will be part of the Summer School. Successful applicants will present their research to an international audience of their peers and receive in-depth feedback from renowned experts in the field. In order to present at the symposium, you must apply with an abstract for the symposium. More information on the doctoral symposium can be found here: Link
Important: Apply on this website for the summer school. If you would also like to present at the doctoral symposium, you will need to apply via a different website (Link). Participation in the summer school does not require presentation at the doctoral symposium. To participate in both, you have to apply for both individually.
References:
Gogolin, I. (1994). Der monolinguale Habitus der multilingualen Schule. Waxmann.
Piller, I. (2016). Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice. Oxford University Press.