Theorizing the Space of Literary Practices

1. A figured world, as detailed on page 12 in the readings, is a place where actors engage in acts, some valued differently than others. Artifacts are items that are given a significance or meaning within the figured world or community and can be anything from menus in a restaurant to computers in a computer lab. An actor is a character who exists in a figured world and interacts with artifacts. 2. On page 11, Bartlett and Holland define a literacy practice as a literacy event once all the social, political, and historical contexts of the event are taken into consideration. I believe that literacy is any skill that has been aquired or learned that you are proficient in. 3. All 3, figured worlds, actors, and artifacts are intertwined with eachother to some extent. On page 12 in the readings, it is mentioned that a figured world is populated with actors and that actors interact with artifacts. 4a. What exactly is a hybrid actor? The readings just say that a human plus an artifact is a hybrid actor but does this mean that the human becomes an artifact and an actor at the same time? If not, what does it exactly mean? 4b. What is the true definition of a figure world, and how specific or broad can a figure world be? 4c. What exactly is an artifact? The reading says that people constantly produce artifacts, so then could anything be an artifact?

(Posted on Moodle Wednesday, 28 August 2013, 11:18 PM)