"I Find America a Very Strange Country": Fostering Dutch Teacher Candidates' Consciousness of Racial Inequity

• In Event: International Perspectives on Education and Social Justice

Abstract

Despite various reports and academic studies on everyday racism in The Netherlands, most Dutch people consider racism as an American problem. In this chapter, we present findings of small-scale, qualitative studies that aimed to explore ways in which we, teacher educators, can foster Dutch teacher candidates’ critical consciousness of racial inequity. Exposing the teacher candidates to provocative ideas about racism, we invited them to discover the feelings and thoughts those ideas evoke. Whereas the findings illustrate the teacher candidates’ beginning understanding of racism, disadvantage and privilege, the step from critical awareness to critical action still has to be taken.

Authors

• Monique Leygraaf, University of Applied Sciences iPabo

• Jenelle R. Reeves, University of Nebraska - Lincoln