Evoking Love Through Poetry and Indigenous Hip-Hop Culture: Decolonizing Pedagogies for Remaking Self and the World

• In Event: Collaborations Against Settler Colonialism: Excavating the Educational Sites and Possibilities of Decolonization

Abstract

Over the past decade, foundation scholars have been influential in pushing us to understand what gives rise to developments in schools and society. Many of us have illuminated how various forms of institutional oppression and unjust structural relationships evoke “feelings of alienation, disconnection, fear, and distrust.” Despite providing critical insight for understand the relationship between knowledge and power, self and ‘Other,” and the purpose of education, we have generally failed to explore whether love has the power to “the better world that we are collectively reimagining and remaking” (AESA 2015 CFP).
This paper illuminates the possibility of fostering love through decolonizing pedagogies generated by two progressive organizations--The Beat Nation and Poetry for the People (P4P). By conducting life histories with Indigenous hip-hop intellectuals, and conducting an ethnographic study of the teaching practices of P4P, we learned decolonizing pedagogies have the power to engender the will to nurture life-affirming growth and reflection. Specifically, the organizations employ poetry, lyrics, technology, dance, and democratic teaching practices in order to guide its audience to understand the social nature of oppression. Moreover, the organizations position its audience—Indigenous youth in Canada, collegiate students and minoritized groups across North America—to get beyond the alienation and frustration often associated with being critical of self and society. In our four years of collective research, we witnessed participants generating resilient personal practices tied to reclaiming one’s identity, language and culture, creating an “in-between space,” where they connect with different aspects of themselves and cross borders to connect with others, and respecting multiple voices, themes, and perspectives (Anzaldúa, 2009).
Decolonizing pedagogies centered on poetry and hip-hop culture provide generative sights for foundation scholars to understand the power of love in improving humanity. They have the power to foster critical awareness, empowerment, collective engagement, and healing, all elements that are necessary for reimagining and remaking self and society, and addressing the ongoing destruction of colonial-settlerism.

Authors

• Nicole Rangel, University of California - Berkeley

• Bradley J. Porfilio, California State University - East Bay