Experiences of Nicaraguan women in the National Literacy Crusade in Nicaragua, 1980: Contributions to the reconstruction of collective memory from an ethnopsychoanalytic perspective and from narrative productions

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the subjective experiences of Nicaraguan women who participated as literacy teachers in the political project called the "National Literacy Crusade" in Nicaragua in 1980, as an effort that contributes to the reconstruction of collective memory of this important event in the recent history of Nicaragua and the Central American region. The aim of this analysis, therefore, is to enable the inclusion of redefinitions and rewritings of history, based on the discussion about how memories are constructed, and how official history makes omissions from the plurality of “other” voices.

The analysis of their experiences is approached through two methods: ethnopsychoanalysis, that involves examining the researcher's own countertransference productions, which arise from the interaction with the participants; and narrative productions, that consider the social framework of the women's world, constructed with meanings and symbols specific to that historical moment. The text emphasizes that the experiences of the literacy teachers were influenced by gender-related social expectations, which were reproduced in the context of war and political and social activism. However, these experiences were also shaped by collectively shared fears and hopes. Through the remembrance and analysis of these experiences, the text explores how this participation in the literacy project may have played a fundamental role in shaping subjectivities and opening up new possibilities for women to inhabit different roles and spaces in Nicaraguan society.