Asian-Australian literacy : post-20.1.17 knowledge production

Within the Anglosphere, globalization is sometimes understood as in terms of Australia, Canada, the USA, and New Zealand engaging the politics and economics of Asia. In what is arguably the second global Asian century, Anglophone nations are confronted with the growing political, economic, and military influence of Asian governments, economies, migrant workers, students and tourists. Where current growth is hugely dependant on China and living standards falling throughout the Anglosphere, what happens there is perhaps more significant than elsewhere. Incomes are being squeezed at all levels with falling profits in resources industries, weak wages, huge family indebtedness, and government budgetary deficits. Responding by transforming their schooling policies, curricula, and teaching workforces is a major challenge. Global citizenship and Asia literacy are among the terms used by governments in these countries to have educators prepare students to work in a political economy increasingly mobilized and dominated by Asia. The chapter examines the relationship between Asia literacy and the political economy. A range of evidence relating to political claims for the economic significance of Asia literacy and the study of Asian languages is analyzed. This chapter argues that the increasing presence of multilingual students from Asia in Anglophone educational institutions provides a basis for expanding Asia literacy. International, migrant, and refugee students from Asia have linguistic capabilities that remain to be mobilized in further Asia literacy.