Intersections and Interdependence: Addressing Colonialism, Ableism, and Epistemic Hierarchies in Global Teacher Education

Session Type: Paper Session

Abstract

This invited Division K VP Panel explores the challenges and affordances of intercultural and intersectional collaborations among African and Latin American scholars in teacher education. Through dialogue across diverse linguistic, cultural, and institutional contexts, presenters examine how colonialism, ableism, and epistemic hierarchies shape global educational partnerships. Discussions illuminate how Yoruba and Wayuu epistemologies and language ideologies reveal both the tensions and transformative possibilities of co-creating knowledge across continents. By critically engaging the persistence of epistemic imperialism, the panel advances visions of reciprocal, community-engaged research and pedagogy that honor multiple ways of knowing. Collectively, participants reimagine global teacher education as a site of interdependence, relational accountability, and the unforgetting of suppressed intellectual traditions.

Sub Unit

• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education

Chair

• Mildred Boveda, Pennsylvania State University

Papers

• Intersections and Interdependence: Addressing Colonialism, Ableism, and Epistemic Hierarchies in Global Teacher Education - Esther Oyefeso, University of Ibadan

• Addressing Colonialism, Ableism, and Epistemic Hierarchies in Global Teacher Education - Grace Otinwa, University of Lagos

• Interdependence and Intersections - Alba Ruth Pinto-Santos, Universidad de La Guajira; Adayenis Bonivento, Universidad de La Guajira; Brunilda Morales, Universidad de La Guajira

Session Organizer

• Nicol R. Howard, Chapman University

Discussant

• Ryan L. Shepard, HCT Ventures