Reciprocal Pedagogies: MusCrit as Methodology for Decolonial Knowledge Relations

• In Event: Beyond Extraction: Islamic Community Practices as Liberatory Research

Abstract

Objectives or Purposes
This research addresses the epistemological violence embedded in traditional educational research methodologies that treat marginalized communities as repositories of data to be extracted rather than knowledge co-creators deserving ongoing relationship and reciprocity. Through examining the evolution of Muslim Critical Theory (MusCrit) from theoretical framework to decolonial research methodology, this work challenges the transactional nature of conventional research practices and proposes reciprocal pedagogies that center community wisdom, ongoing obligation, and relational accountability. The study explores how MusCrit methodology disrupts colonial patterns of knowledge extraction by positioning Muslim American communities not as subjects to be studied, but as epistemic partners whose knowledge systems offer alternative models for educational research and practice.
Perspective(s) or Theoretical Framework
Grounded in decolonial praxis, Muslim Critical Theory (Ali, 2022), and Indigenous research methodologies (Wilson, 2008; Smith, 2012), this framework draws from Islamic epistemologies that understand knowledge ('ilm) as sacred, relational, and creating obligations between learner, teacher, and community.
Modes of Inquiry
This research employs MusCrit methodology as both object of study and method of inquiry, demonstrating its decolonial potential through recursive, community-accountable research practices. The methodology centers reciprocal ethnography, where community members serve as co-researchers rather than subjects, and collaborative counter-storytelling that positions participants as authors of their own narratives. Data generation methods include community dialogues conducted in culturally responsive formats and methodological documentation of the research process itself as sites of knowledge production.
Data Sources
Primary data sources include narrative interview transcripts from the foundational study with 15 female Muslim American students (ages 18-24), conducted using MusCrit methodology to center counter-narratives and community voice. Four interviews were conducted immediately post-2016 election, with eleven additional interviews conducted post-2020 election, providing temporal analysis of how political contexts shape educational experiences and identity navigation. Post-Gaza genocide interview data includes ten in-depth interviews with Muslim American educators and community members exploring their choices around silence and speaking up in educational contexts, examining how epistemological violence manifests in moments of political crisis and community trauma. Methodological documentation traces the evolution from traditional narrative research approaches in the original study toward increasingly reciprocal, community-accountable research practices.
Results:
Findings reveal that MusCrit methodology creates space for reciprocal knowledge relations that challenge traditional researcher-subject hierarchies and demonstrate alternative models for educational inquiry. Community participants identified how conventional research practices mirror colonial extraction, treating their experiences as raw material for academic production while offering little return benefit to communities.
Scholarly Significance of the Study
This work contributes to the decolonial future of education by demonstrating how methodological innovation can challenge epistemological violence in educational research and create models for reciprocal knowledge production. By positioning community wisdom as primary source rather than academic theory, this work demonstrates how decolonial research can generate knowledge that serves community priorities while contributing to scholarly understanding. The study's emphasis on obligation-based learning and community-readiness offers concrete alternatives to neoliberal educational frameworks, contributing to broader conversations about education for collective liberation rather than individual advancement.

Author

• Noor Ali, Northeastern University