Traditionally, the concept of literacy has referred to being able to read and write. It has been enhanced to include economic, political, and socio-cultural dimensions as well as ethical and educational issues as related to social inequality, fostering empowerment and diversity, overcoming patterns of discrimination, and promoting media competency and the ability to deal with uncertainty and risk. Today, we find various conceptualizations of ‘literacy’ referring to notions of cognitive skills, competence, modes of meaning-making or understanding, the ability of dealing with language, numbers, images or digital media, or, for example, being knowledgable in a specific area. Some of the conceptual enhancements are branded with terms like ‘multiliteracies’, ‘new literacies’ or ‘literacy turn’. On the other hand, manifold application-oriented enhancements have been developed, often expressed with compound terms. The scope ranges from art literacy, critical literacy, and data literacy, to emotional literacy, information literacy, and zoological literacy. The contribution reflects on potentials, paradoxes and limitations of these enhancements aiming at a critical discussion of corresponding educational hopes or promises and considering possible conceptual alternatives.

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