Social Justice Pedagogies

Antiracist Pedagogy recognizes that racism is built into the foundation of academic structures and institutions rather than solely manifested through interpersonal interactions. Because this racism is systemic, antiracist pedagogy is not just a framework but a process of identifying, rejecting, and undoing racism as it exists within policies; class syllabi/materials; classroom/instructional practices, beliefs, and behaviors; and institutional structures. Antiracist Pedagogy evolved as a branch of Critical Theory and is informed by Critical Race Theory. While its beginnings started earlier, it became popularized in the early 2000s and has continued to gain momentum in recent years.

Reflective Practices

As you explore antiracist pedagogy, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is your existing viewpoint around race? How does your perspective on race influence your teaching? 
   • Do you believe that education is a meritocracy? Are there ways that higher education is not accessible to some communities of color? Do you believe that naming racism is worse than acts of racism?
2. Since racism can be systemic and built into standardized practices, what are some ways your teaching adheres to or challenges standard practices that privilege certain students over others?
   • Are your classes lecture-driven rather than discussion-driven? Is student growth measured solely through testing? Are you bestowing value on certain voices over others? 
3. How do you affirm the lived experiences and individual identities of your students, especially students of color? 
   • Do your lessons contain any triggers or microaggressions that may harm or tokenize certain students?

Teaching Practices

After you work through some of the antiracist pedagogy reflective practices, here are some starting teaching practices you might adopt:

1. Recognize that instruction cannot be neutral if you want it to be antiracist. Neutrality feeds into white supremacy by eliding the mention of race and racism which are systemically built into the foundation of higher education institutions.
2. Strive to make your classroom a safe space but also make room for discomfort by allowing students to question lessons as well as each other. This is where learning, and most importantly, critical thinking happens. 
   • Instructors should create a space that invites in different perspectives that might be connected to students’ lives. For example, consider who wrote each of the texts you assign. Are you bringing in diverse perspectives? How might you incorporate more racial diversity into your class texts, lessons, discussions, etc.?
3. Reflect on your own subject position as an instructor and how your (racial, gender, sexual, and cultural) identity impacts student interactions (in terms of perceived power hierarchies, community-building, and privilege), class materials, and course expectations.