Expanding CSP Through Afro-Indigeneity and Pan-Disability: An Inclusive Equity STEM Interrogation

• In Event: STEM Education and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: Envisioning New Horizons in Teacher Preparation for Student Liberation

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes
This paper explores the expansive and transformative possibilities of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSP), particularly through the lens of Afro-Indigenous and pan-disability cultural knowledge systems. Our objectives are threefold: (1) to address both general and STEM-specific cognitive injustices stemming from the exclusion of complex Indigenous and Afro-Descendant culturally relevant funds of knowledge; (2) to elevate pan-disability culture as central to the enrichment of CSP; and (3) to critically examine the intersection of these two domains to illuminate the epistemological and pedagogical potential of CSP for dismantling exclusionary teaching practices.
Perspective(s)/Framework
Our theoretical framework is grounded in decolonial theory (Quijano, 1992), epistemologies of the South (Santos & Meneses, 2020), and CSP (Paris, 2012; Paris & Alim, 2014, 2017). We also draw from critical disability studies (Waitoller & Thorius, 2016; Ben-Moshe, 2020), critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Darder, 2015), and funds of knowledge literature (Moll et al., 1992). Central to our approach is the recognition of community knowledge as legitimate and transformative, and of counterstory (Solórzano et al., 2024; Yosso, 2006) as an epistemological tool to challenge dominant narratives.
Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
Methodologically, this is a conceptual and critical reflection piece informed by our own positionalities and long-standing work in community and educational settings. Rather than presenting empirical data, we offer a theoretical argument supported by our collaborative experiences—Alexis as a scholar-activist in disability studies, and Johana as a STEM educator and member of the Afro-Indigenous (Garifuna) community. In this presentation, we use both terms—Afro-Indigenous and Garifuna—interchangeably to refer to the same cultural group. This approach enables us to ground our theorizing in lived experiences and relational knowledge, rather than abstract generalizations.
Results
Our conclusions emphasize that CSP, when expanded to incorporate pan-disability cultures and Afro-Indigenous epistemologies, becomes a dynamic and participatory framework capable of both sustaining marginalized knowledge and unlearning oppressive traditions. We argue that CSP should not merely legitimize existing cultural knowledge but must also actively engage with the processes of cultural transformation—questioning what to sustain and what to unlearn. In particular, we highlight how Garifuna diasporic epistemologies and pan-disability cultural practices can disrupt the cognitive and curricular marginalization often perpetuated within STEM education.
Scholarly Significance
The scholarly significance of this work lies in its challenge to the North-centric and often ableist limitations of current CSP frameworks. By theorizing CSP as relational, transgressive, and community-driven, we call for a shift in who holds epistemic authority and how educational spaces are structured to either reproduce or resist injustice. Our work contributes to a growing movement to reposition CSP not simply as an inclusive pedagogy, but as a decolonial, justice-centered praxis. We aim to foster critical reflection among educators and scholars on their roles not as gatekeepers of knowledge, but as co-learners engaged in restoring cognitive justice through participatory and culturally responsive engagement.

Authors

• Johana E. Thomas Zapata, Washington State University

• Alexis Padilla, Independent Scholar