ERIC Number: EJ1372825
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2164-0246
Decolonization of Education: How Educators Can Aid Transcultural Acculturation to Advance Communities Committed to Social Justice
Mudambi, Aradhana; Sada, Elena
Journal of Catholic Education, v25 n2 Article 10 p167-177 Fall 2022
Cultures recreate themselves constantly, sometimes through natural transformations, sometimes through imposition. While colonialism was atrocious, partly because it transformed cultures by imposing disfigured identities and understandings (Fanon, 1963), we cannot reset cultures to how they were before conquest. That would require erasing languages now spoken for generations, dismantling religions and beliefs now practiced for hundreds of years, and purifying food habits now valued by the palettes of those formerly colonized. We can, however, work towards decolonizing our present-day society. Specifically, we can identify how colonialism continues to position some populations and their cultures as inferior (minoritized) and others as superior (majoritized; Vaccaro, 2021). We can also explore how colonized cultures adapted to colonialism, leading to the fusion or mestizaje of cultures that, in spite of colonial atrocities, led to new, intersectional identities that have now fallen prey to the same hegemonic perspectives of the past. And we can examine how natural mestizaje that occurs with immigration can be subject to contradictory pressures to assimilate to colonial ideals and to resist colonial influences. This paper proposes that Catholic schools are in a privileged position to contribute to decolonization by aiding students' transcultural acculturation (Mudambi, 2021a; Mudambi, 2021b). Furthermore, this article offers specific actions in which Catholic schools can engage to mobilize education towards decolonization and, in doing so, foster a Christian culture of equity and justice, while serving as a model for other education systems.
Descriptors: Catholic Schools, Cultural Awareness, Social Justice, Educational Change, Decolonization, Colonialism, Acculturation, Resistance (Psychology), Immigrants, Kindergarten
University of Notre Dame. 4110 Jenkins Nanovic Bldg, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Tel: 574-631-1861; e-mail: JCE@nd.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ce
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Connecticut
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A