Uta Papen is Senior Lecturer in Literacy Studies at the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University and a member of the Lancaster Literacy Research Centre. Her main research fields are social and cultural aspects of literacy and cross-cultural studies of literacy and literacy education. She also studies the role of written texts in health care settings and in relation to pregnancy. Publications include Adult Literacy as Social Practice: More than Skills (Routledge 2005) and The Anthropology of Writing (2011, co-edited with D.Barton).

• Part 1: Language and Literacy in Namibia 1. Language and Literacy in Namibia 12 Years after the End of Apartheid 2. A Social and Cultural Perspective on Literacy 3. Setting Out to Study Reading and Writing Practices in Namibia Part 2: Reading the Bible and Shopping on Credit 4. 'Everything is in English' 5. Banks, Loans and Invoices: Beureaucratic Literacy Practices 6. Shopping Without Money: Literacies of Consumerism Part 3: Speaking and Writing the Language of Tourists: Literacy and Tourism 7. Visit 'One of the Most Untamed and Beautiful Parts of Wild Africa' 8. Guestbooks, Price Tags and Cash Books 9. Signposts, Flyers and Brochures 10. Mediation, Creativity and Coping with Unfamiliar Structures and New Faces Part 4: Conclusions