Literacies of Transnational Students of Color: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis Through an Intersectionally Informed Critical Race Theory Lens

Although racialization profoundly shapes global education, literacy scholarship concerning transnational students of Color (TSCs) frequently lacks an intersectional lens. This critical interpretive synthesis examines how existing studies conceptualize TSCs’ literacies and how their characterizations of race structurally and ideologically de/legitimize these practices. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically identified, screened, and selected empirical studies, then conducted a critical interpretive synthesis using an intersectionally informed Critical Race Theory framework, reported in accordance with ENTREQ. The review protocol was retrospectively documented and registered on the Open Science Framework. From 1282 initially identified records, 121 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our synthesis indicates that most studies frame literacy as an ideological, translocal, and translinguistic social practice. While outcome-driven institutional norms persistently perpetuate Eurocentric epistemologies, scholarship explicitly naming race exposes enduring colonial legacies. Ultimately, TSCs’ literacies function as critical assets for resisting marginalization and writing themselves into the world. Redefining literacy as a racialized yet transformative practice, we propose three major field reorientations: moving from singular to holistic literacies, from individual remediation to structural understandings, and from localized to transnational perspectives.