Decolonial Praxis in an Era of Constraint: Faculty Reflection, Refusal, and the Reimagining of Pedagogy

• In Event: The Power Of (Un)Forgetting, Historical Consciousness And Decolonial Future Of Education

Abstract

In an era of intensified political repression and anti-DEI legislation, faculty committed to decolonial, and justice-oriented pedagogies face mounting constraints within higher education. This study draws from the Decolonial Pedagogies Project a multi-year, transdisciplinary faculty learning collective to examine how educators cultivate liberatory pedagogical practices amid institutional climates shaped by censorship, compliance, and settler logics. Framed by theories of decoloniality and fugitive pedagogy this study explores how five faculty participants reflected on and enacted decolonial praxis within their disciplines. Through retrospective and critical discourse analysis of post-program reflections, the study identifies the emergence of Decolonial Pedagogical Discourses, a constellation of values, strategies, and epistemic commitments that enabled participants to reshape syllabi, reimagine assessment, and create pedagogical counterspaces.

Authors

• Bianca J. Nightengale-Lee, Western Michigan University

• Michelle Vaughan-McGovern, Florida Atlantic University

• Paul Massy, Florida Memorial University

• Bryan H. Nichols, Florida Atlantic University

• Daniella Orias, Florida Atlantic University

• Regis Fox, Florida Atlantic University