"It's Dehumanizing on Purpose": Educators' Experiences at an Immigration Detention Center

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Frameworks for Expansive Learning

Abstract

This qualitative study grounded in the framework of critical teacher education examines the experience of pre-service teachers at a for-profit immigration detention center in Georgia . The students were able to speak with migrants caught in this inhumane and unjust system. The students’ pre-trip and post-trips reflections were analyzed using a post-humanist approach. Their experiences highlight the dehumanization of the system, links between education and immigration policy, and the need for greater awareness. The implications for teachers and teacher educators are poignant in regard to advocacy, pedagogy, and curriculum. The research highlights the need for more scholarship in understanding the nexus of unjust immigration policies and the preparation of pre-service teachers to work with students from marginalized immigrant backgrounds.

Authors

• William McCorkle, College of Charleston

• Mary Elizabeth R. Lloyd, College of Charleston