Postcolonial Theory and the Schooling Experiences of Black Postcolonial Subjects in U.S. Schools

• In Event: 41.061 - "There Can Never Really Be Justice on Stolen Land": A Discussion for Emerging Scholars

Abstract

Schools play a pivotal role in shaping students perceptions of their social and cultural identity, and their academic abilities. Unfortunately, students of African descent in the United States, whether immigrant or native-born, faces unique challenges in school due to the racial identity and perceptions attached to such identity. Specifically, the racial identity of these students, i.e. Black, highly influence the ways in which they are perceived and treated in school. It also influences how they are taught and thus their academic achievement or lack thereof. Utilizing the works of Edward Said, Aime Cesaire, Stuart Hall and other postcolonial theorists, this paper uses postcolonial theory to deconstruct and understand the social and academic experiences of Black students (African, African American, and Caribbean) in U.S. schools. Postcolonial theory is the political, economical, social, cultural and psychological critiques of colonialism (Young, 2001). While the term “postcolonial” indicated the end of colonialism and the dismantling of European empires and imperialism, postcolonial theory rest on the argument that there is no postcolonial period, that is, the theory insists that we still live in a colonial world in which those who were colonized during colonialism continue to be colonized today (Ashcroft, Griffiths, & Triffin, 2007; Young, 2001). While previously colonized nations have since gained their independence, postcolonial theorists argue that there is a continual dominance and legacy of western colonialism, and therefore are particularly concerned with the long-term effects of Europe’s imperial and colonial domination of other nations across the globe and ways to transforms these effects for the benefits of those previously colonized (Young, 2001). Colonial discourse and ideologies permeate institutions such as schools as school continue to operates as a sorting mechanism that reproduces the status quo and reinforces Eurocentric ideals and what is considered the norm by White Americans. With that in mind, this paper focuses on 1) the history and impact of colonialism and imperialism on people of African descent in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, and 2) how colonialism has manifested overtime and has continue to have detrimental impact on Black students in the United States. This paper then argues that U.S. schools as colonial institutions uses colonial tools and ideologies rooted in colonial discourse and understandings to teach postcolonial subject, an act that strips the subjects of their identity, culture, ability, and ultimately their humanity. This paper concludes with recommendations on how schools, scholars, and activists could combat neocolonialism.

Author

• Mercy Agyepong, University of Wisconsin - Madison