Speculative testimonios: imagining futures through embodied narratives in teacher education

Purpose This paper aims to introduce speculative testimonios as a pedagogical approach for engaging teacher candidates with social justice actions through speculative young adult literature, specifically examining how imaginative narratives can create brave spaces for critical dialogue about contentious sociopolitical realities. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper premieres a four-phase framework for implementing speculative testimonios in teacher education, drawing on critical literacy theory, testimonio as pedagogy and speculative fiction. The approach is illustrated through analysis of Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista (2021) as an exemplar text. Findings Speculative testimonios offer a mediated dialogue space where teacher candidates can explore difficult sociopolitical realities through the protective lens of imagined narratives. The framework centers the agentic and action-oriented features of testimonios with speculative fiction’s imaginative possibilities via critical pedagogy situated in restrictive educational climates. Originality/value This paper contributes the first systematic framework for speculative testimonios in teacher education, addressing the urgent need for pedagogical approaches that navigate increasing restrictions on classroom discourse while maintaining commitments to social justice and critical consciousness.