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Those are some pretty interesting and difficult questions to answer, and I can't say that I have the answers. However, I do agree with the notion that there are "multiple and inherent literacies;" being an Anthropology major, I often view society with a cultural constructionist point of view. This means that peoples' behaviors are a result (to some extent, I believe) of their cultural environments and upbringings. Therefore, the geographical location and community in which an individual lives can shape that individual's literacy learning. I think the main factor that might run across all cultures as embodying childhood is the phenomenon of constantly and increasingly learning. The phenomenon of learning lasts a person’s whole life of course, but childhood is the time during which a person gains the integral and basic aspects of knowledge. This interpretation of learning as being a universal characteristic of individuals under the age of 10 is similar to your idea that literacy is a universal characteristic, and I would say that they go hand-in-hand.