Decolonizing Leadership: Historically Marginalized Leaders, an Imperative to Expediting Social Justice in Education

• In Event: Social Justice as Decolonizing Leadership: Global Responses to a Call for Action, Reform, and Change

Abstract

This study found that racialized and LGBTQ leaders personal experiences of injustice significantly impacted their orientation to leadership for social justice. Using a sub-set of data from a larger study, this paper examines interviews conducted with 7 administrators in Canada. The overarching theme that emerged from the data was the interconnectedness between experiences of marginalization and conceptions of leadership for social justice. The following two sub-themes emerged 1) Life Experiences, Critical Incidents & Subsequent Conceptions of Social Justice, and; 2) Decolonizing Leadership: Historically Marginalized Leaders Committed to Social Justice A.K.A. Trailblazers. The findings suggest that Trailblazers hold the potential to decolonize educational administrative discourse due to their innate knowledge of marginalization and their expertise in education.

Author

• Herveen Singh, Zayed University