Elite Capture in Education: Igbo-African Philosophy and the Pursuit of Meaningful Change

• In Event: Navigating Unjust Institutions: Visions of Educational Justice

Abstract

One of the tensions at play in racial justice work is the role of the intelligentsia. The term elite capture from political science and development studies, describes the ways racial justice policies designed to benefit marginalized peoples, primarily benefit the privileged class within those communities. Igwebuike philosophy, from the Igbo-African worldview, is one way to circumvent the tide of elite capture in racial justice work in education. This paper provides a theoretical and philosophical lense that encourages educators to move from “us vs. them” thinking to a framework of “Us plus our Other-selves” to more fully embrace sustainable racial justice work.

Author

• Hope K. McCoy, Stanford University