Resisting Authoritarianism at the Kitchen Table: Stories of Care and Solidarity in Literacy Research

As literacy researchers, we are grappling directly with issues spanning from censorship of literature and research to legislative bills prescribing how to teach to xenophobic immigration policies. This article shares considerations of methodological practices of resistance across three research projects dealing with such issues. We think across our projects to provide methodological insights toward subjectivity and solidarity in the crafting of literacy research commitments, data collection, and positionality. To make our thought processes and deliberations visible to readers, we share stories from three projects illuminating the ways that the researchers have navigated the realities of authoritarianism within our field of literacy education research through processes of study (re)design, data collection, and participant engagement. We aim to help build knowledge and solidarity in trying times, orienting literacy researchers toward care and solidarity at a moment when authoritarian policies seek to weaken collective resistance.