Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice

Publication Date

2026

Keywords

Cuban Literacy Campaign, self-study, transnational literacy, reflexivity, literacy ideology

Abstract

In December 2024, as part of the Literacy Research Association (LRA) Advancing Reading and Literacy Education Delegation to Cuba, delegates visited the Museo de la Alfabetización in Havana, which documents the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign. This collaborative reflexive self-study examines how delegates—literacy scholars and educators—collectively interpreted and negotiated national literacy narratives through engagement with the museum. Data sources included a transcript of a post-visit critical conversation, individual reflexive memos, and artifacts gathered during the museum visit. Iterative thematic analysis identified four sensemaking processes: shifting from pedagogy to shared purpose; holding inspiration and discomfort together; questioning narrative ownership and erasure; and confronting the limits of interpretive frames. The study foregrounds how sensemaking unfolded across delegates and time, revealing literacy as a site of social and political struggle. Findings suggest that literacy initiatives operate as ideological projects rather than neutral educational efforts. The study also advances humble reflexivity as a productive methodological orientation for transnational literacy engagement.

Funding Source

This article was published open access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.

Comments

First published in Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice (2026): https://doi.org/10.1177/23813377261476981

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

DOI

10.1177/23813377261476981

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