ABSTRACT
The interviews with former Malagasy teachers and pupils were limited to the specific case study dealing with Lutheran literacy work in the district of Betafo. Ethnography is a relevant and suitable method in the study of literacy. Mike Baynham emphasised that historians of literacy use sources such as written records, contemporary accounts, letters and autobiographies to study literacy with historical perspectives. Articles about Madagascar dealing with the mission’s literacy and educational work were of special interest as well as articles commenting on the missions’ relations with the local population, the government and other mission societies. The life stories were particularly valuable in reconstructing literacy practices. David Barton and Mary Hamilton have argued that a life history approach can provide a frame of analysis for people’s experiences with literacy practices. The literacy practices an individual engages with change across their lifetime, as a result of changing demands, available resources and people’s interests.
