‘Teaching to Transgress’: Postcolonial Pedagogy in Teaching Introductory Critical Race Feminist Education

• In Event: Decolonizing Pedagogies: Moving Toward Racial-Sexual-Gender Justice in the Classroom

Abstract

Decolonizing the mind and teaching to transgress have been core commitments for anti-racist, anti-colonialist, feminist scholars and educators of color. Following this tradition, this paper interrogates pedagogical practices employed in introductory feminist courses at predominantly white U.S. institutions that fail to interrogate the nation-state, racism and colonialism for the sake of students’ “comfort.” This paper posits the rhetoric of comfort as a colonialist notion and argues for critical feminist pedagogy that employs postcolonial, critical race approaches for introductory feminist courses. Specifically, I argue that centering ideology and colonial history helps commence conversations about US exceptionalism and race.

Presenter

• Tay Glover, The Ohio State University