Decolonizing Education in Taiwan: An Asian-Tribal Critical Race Theory Analysis of Indigenous Experimental Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Global Crossroads: Policy, Pedagogy, and Innovation in Asian Education Systems

Abstract

In Taiwan, Indigenous people have experienced oppression under multiple colonial regimes, leaving them entangled in a complex triangular relationship with state authorities and settler populations. In response to this unique colonial context, Asian-Tribal Critical Race Theory (ATCrit) was developed as a framework to examine the extent to which experimental education has contributed to the decolonization of Indigenous education. Drawing on the case study of Torch experimental elementary school, this research finds that while the school’s inclusive environment and culturally responsive curriculum enable teachers and students to engage with Indigenous cultures, perform Indigeneity, and promote interethnic harmony. Indigenous education is nevertheless constrained by national systems and continues to struggle within the “Indigenous paradox,” despite legal provisions supporting self-determination and curricular localization.

Author

• Yang Ming (Albert) Chen, University at Buffalo - SUNY