Pedagogy of Genocide and 'Imperial Liberal Knowledge': Rethinking education in ‘conflict’ through epistemic disobedience"

• In Event: Beyond Education Emergencies: towards an ideology of struggle

Proposal

This presentation introduces a novel framework for understanding and engaging with education in ‘conflict,’ specifically through the lenses of the pedagogy of genocide and "Imperial Liberal Knowledge." By examining the cases of Palestine and India, we propose a theoretical approach that extends existing paradigms within conflict and education. Our framework deepens the understanding of genocide as a pedagogical process and critiques the role of imperial liberal knowledge in reinforcing it. In the context of rising fascistic and far-right movements, this topic is crucial as it examines how education and knowledge production can perpetuate and legitimise genocidal ideologies. The proposed framework highlights the ways in which educational systems and discourses can be used as tools for genocide and imperialism. By critiquing the role of "Imperial Liberal Knowledge" and the pedagogy of genocide, the research reveals how seemingly neutral liberal ideologies can, in fact, support and reinforce far-right agendas and the normalisation of violence and oppression.
We differentiate between academic complicity and implicatedness in the context of genocide. Extending Rothberg’s concept of the "Implicated Subject," we examine how liberal ideologies, often seen as neutral, are complicit in genocidal pedagogies. We call for a reevaluation of liberalism's ties to imperial and genocidal agendas. Our approach is grounded in an intersectional Black feminist framework, drawing on bell hooks, Angela Davis, and other scholars to address interlocking oppressions, including sexism, racism, capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, and ableism.
Our analytical approach employs Mignolo’s (2009) concepts of the "geo-politics of knowledge" and "geo-politics of knowing" to explore who produces knowledge about 'conflict,' why, and with what consequences. We challenge Eurocentric epistemologies that assume context-free knowledge, advocating instead for "epistemic disobedience" that rejects the illusion of neutral knowledge production.
This study critically examines how education and research on 'conflict' have legitimised imperial policies and the war on terror, revealing their role in reinforcing genocidal pedagogies. We highlight the exclusion of anti-genocide perspectives from genocide-affected contexts in Western academia and emphasise the need to center these voices. This research employs a range of innovative methods, including a purposive sampling of prominent anti-genocide feminist voices, critical incidents, the choice of language and narratives, and the use of both online and offline data sources such as articles, blogs, social media and webinars. Our data includes observations from informal conversations, analysis of public statements, and reflections on personal and historical experiences. By integrating critical reflexivity and positionality, our approach considers our own historical and institutional contexts, as well as the personal journeys that inform our scholarly inquiries. Our approach bridges academia and activism, drawing on our direct participation in anti-genocide movements.
The presentation raises crucial questions about the ethical responsibilities of scholars and educational practitioners in contexts of genocide. It calls for a fundamental reconsideration of how genocidal pedagogies are perpetuated through Imperial Liberal Knowledge and proposes new tools for decolonizing knowledge production and promoting genocide prevention.

Author

• Laila Kadiwal, IOE-UCL