Dismantle, Change, Build: Abolitionist Civics Education and Social Studies for Radical Democratic Praxis

• In Event: Building Emancipatory Spaces: Black Educators and Transformative Pedagogies in Social Studies Education

Abstract

This conceptual paper offers prison-industrial complex abolition (Davis et. al., 2022) as both a tool for truly transformative social studies (specifically civics and civic education) research and practice and a roadmap for action and repair through radical democratic praxis world-building. We describe the “dismantle, change, build” framework (Kaba & Ritchie, 2022) as a potential grounding for civics education and offer vignettes from our own work as emerging abolitionists to offer a jumping-off point for others interested in this work. Thus, this paper offers conceptual exploration of abolition as a set of ideas and way of life that challenges and deconstructs the civic enclosures (Meiners, 2016; Sojoyner, 2016) and limiting conceptions of citizenship currently embraced within most forms of civic education.

Authors

• Kristin Sinclair, Georgetown University

• Ryan Oto, University of Minnesota

• Kaitlin E. Popielarz, SEMIS Coalition and We The People of Detroit

• Tadashi Dozono, California State University - Channel Islands