Writing Technology & Development: Insights from Jack Goody

In today's information age, information is power. This article examines Jack Goody's pioneering theories, as found in two of his major books, and applies them to the African society. Lack of information means no progress or development. Useful information is acquired mainly through reading and writing. And these two life skills are in turn acquired in the process of education. Reading and writing, that is to say literacy, are therefore directly linked to development. Because of this link, people are either progressive or retrogressive. This dichotomy of human society may not be so distinct today as individuals are increasingly getting literate. Goody is a British social scientist who has studied human societies from a historicalanthropological perspective. He places written communication centre-stage in the evolution of human societies. It emerges, from the two books, that his theories are highly pertinent to the developing world, and especially to Kenya Keywords : Writing, literacy, development, Kenya, Jack Goody Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa Vol. 1 (2) 2009: pp. 62-75