Silences in Climate Education: Epistemic Injustice and De/Colonial Curriculum in British Columbia

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Agency as decolonial praxis in curriculum

Abstract

In British Columbia, climate change education often emphasizes scientific facts and individual actions, while sidelining structural issues such as colonialism, capitalism, and the disproportionate impacts on Indigenous, racialized, and low‑income communities. This study interrogates these curricular silences through the lenses of epistemic injustice, critical curriculum theory, and de/colonial scholarship, framing curriculum as a political and cultural text. Preliminary analysis suggests a privileging of individual responsibility and tokenized inclusion of Indigenous knowledge, with limited attention to systemic injustice. Using curriculum and textbook analysis alongside interviews with students and teachers, the research examines how such omissions shape understandings of climate justice. Findings aim to inform more inclusive, justice‑oriented climate pedagogy in BC and in global climate education contexts.

Author

• Tamanna Maqsood, University of British Columbia