How Does the World End? Black Aesthetics and Methodological Counter-Conscription in Curriculum Theory (Poster 1)

• In Event: Imagining Black Worlds: Emphasizing Black Methodologies in Reparative Educational Inquiry

Abstract

This paper engages in a theoretical exploration of Black aesthetics as a methodological counter-conscription to the systemic subjugation of Blackness within US educational frameworks. By interrogating the (un)imagined capacities of Black consciousness, the research proposes that Black aesthetics offers a transformative lens for curriculum theory, enabling a radical reconfiguration of educational spaces. In a society that imposes a bottommost status on Black people—forcing them into roles of systemic inferiority—Black aesthetics represents a form of resistance and reconstitution. This approach reveals how Black people have historically subverted imposed limitations to craft alternative realities and worlds. Through an examination of artistic and literacy practices among Black youth, the paper demonstrates how Black aesthetics can inform the creation of curricula that prioritize Black liberation and challenge anti-Black trauma. This methodological shift not only redefines conventional educational practices but also provides a framework for constructing curricula that support Black worldending/worldmaking as resilience. The study advocates for integrating Black aesthetics into curriculum theory to foster environments that embrace and elevate Black creativity and intellectual contributions.

Author

• Justin A. Coles, University of Massachusetts - Amherst