Fighting back: The journey of becoming a cosmopolitan educational scholar

• In Event: Higher Education, Mobility and Study Abroad

Proposal

Education, as stated in a UNESCO (2021) report, has the potential to “repair past injustices and transform the future” (p. vi). In this sense, it can be seen as a form of protest, but it also goes beyond mere protesting. The proposed study speaks to this transformative aspect of education. Using a narrative inquiry approach, and based on data collected for a doctoral thesis, I take a deeper look at the life story of a cosmopolitan education scholar.

I use the following questions to guide my inquiry and discussion:
(1) What conditions and reasons were involved in the individual’s decision to fight back?
(2) How did the individual fight back?
(3) What impacts and consequences did fighting back have on the individual’s learning and becoming?

Framing: the critical aspect of global education

The proposed study is situated in the context of global education. The main theme – fighting back, comes out of a study that I conducted as part of an integrated doctoral thesis. In that study entitled Becoming globally minded: A narrative case study of six cosmopolitan educational scholars’ life stories, I adopted a life story approach to collect and analyze narratives from six educational scholars. One scholar’s narrative, in particular, highlights the importance of fighting back and the role it played in developing global mindedness. It is connected to the main theme of the conference – the power of protesting, while speaking to the critical dimension of (global) education.

Methods: the life story approach

As noted above, the study follows a narrative inquiry research design (Creswell, 2007). More specifically, I follow the life story approach to examine the life story of one person (Atkinson, 1995; Lieblich et al., 1998). The research methods are highly qualitative and interpretive. Original data were collected using the method of life story interview (Atkinson, 2007), after which data were organized chronologically into a coherent narrative. In the process of data analysis, I examined the narrative to produce findings that speak to the research questions.

Theoretical framework: Transformative learning and cosmopolitan learning

While applying content analysis on the narrative data, I drew on theories to aid my interpretation. Two theories that I find particularly useful in my analysis are transformative learning (Mezirow, 2008) and cosmopolitan learning (Rizvi, 2009). The multi-phase model of transformative learning proposed by Mezirow (1991, 2008) has been accredited for explaining change in learners’ perspectives or “frame of reference”. Cosmopolitan learning (Rizvi, 2009) emphasizes the understanding of the learner’s situatedness in a multicultural world. While transformative learning theory helps illustrating the process of change in learner identity, cosmopolitan learning facilitates the understanding of social and cultural contexts that shape the process. Both theories highlight the learner’s criticality and reflexivity. Together, these two theories also work well with the life story approach (Bertaux & Kohli, 1984).

The “what”, the “why”, and the “how” of fighting back

In the findings and discussion section of the paper, I first present an outline of the scholar’s life, highlighting key events and incidents that shaped his identity. The brief account of his life story provides the background and contexts to the main themes of fighting back. The protagonist of the story, born in a former British colony, studied in England, where he encountered racism and decided to fight back. That decision had a profound impact on his life, encouraging him to fight back on other key occasions and laying the foundation for his career as a cosmopolitan education scholar. In the section that follows, I zoom in to a few critical incidents of fighting back and expand on the question of what he fought back in different junctions of his life. Next, I focus on the “why” of fighting back – why the action was taken and why it was necessary in the given situation. Finally I get to the question of “how” – the process of fighting back, the actions taken, as well as the knowledge and resources that enabled his success.

Pedagogical implications

Stories and personal examples can be powerful in igniting and promoting positive social changes. Although this study is centred on one person’s life story, readers may find it resonating with their own experiences with the society and education. It speaks about the legacy of colonization, racism, inclusion and exclusion, issues and questions we still face in today’s society, as well as qualities that enable one to fight back against injustice. The findings of this study and the story itself can be interesting to educators who believe in the transformative and emancipatory potential of education.

Author

• Haoming Tang, Western University- Faculty of Education