This article introduces a special issue on the topic of Cultural Studies and Critical Literacies. The collection of articles is drawn from the central theme of the inaugural Summer Institute of the Association for Cultural Studies: to explore the implications of studying literacy by combining perspectives from cultural studies and (critical) literacy studies. The issue also serves to map current trends in cultural studies by sharing and extending some of the discussions that took place at the Institute with the larger cultural studies community. In this introduction, we will revisit work undertaken at the intersection of literacy studies and cultural studies, including the phenomenon of multiliteracies, in order to set the scene for our collection of articles that focuses on different contemporary 'uses' of literacy.