The Literacy and Development Group (LDG) brings together researchers from the Schools of Education and Lifelong Learning and the School of International Development  at UEA and now contributes to the UNESCO Chair programme                                  

Formed in 2003, the group takes a ‘situated literacy' approach, aiming to combine theory and practice to engage actively with key policy institutions in the UK and internationally and to encourage cross-cultural interaction between literacy researchers and practitioners around the world.

Researching literacy practices in schools, adult learning programmes, development organisations and universities in a range of country contexts, we focus particularly on issues of power, inequality and social change. We promote inter-disciplinary perspectives and methodologies, particularly collaboration between anthropologists, linguists and economists. 

We have strong links with development agencies and organisations, including UNESCO, the British Association for Literacy in Development (BALID), the Asia and South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education (ASPBAE), British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) and various NGOs in South Asia. LDG is also represented on the UK Literacy Working Group and the UK Forum for International Education and Training (UKFIET)

Our regular conferences have brought together researchers from across the world to debate issues around education, literacy and development, including:- ‘Literacy Inequalities', ‘Gender and Adult Education', and ‘Literacy, Identity and Social Change'. We have conducted commissioned research for major development agencies, including for UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report.