Decolonizing Classrooms

Is there space for indigenous knowledge in a post-colonial

society?

"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."

- Audre Lorde

Muhammad Ahmad Hasan

SOC 432: Colonialism and Colonial Legacies

Hassan Javid

December 20, 2020

every grammar mistake made in this paper

is an act of post-colonial activism.
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Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….... 3

Colonizing Knowledge…………………………………………………………….. 4

Colonized Classrooms……………………………………………………………... 6

Transforming Education…………………………………………………………… 8

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 10

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….. 11
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Introduction

Education, at its very core, is inherently political. From the textbooks to the

curriculum taught to the policies/laws governing what the teachers teach and what the

students learn – everything is politically and ideologically informed. The content being taught

and how it is being taught is determined and shaped through socio-cultural, political, and

historical factors associated with the ideals the state aims to reproduce. According to Pierre

Bourdieu, education is an instrument used solely to reproduce the culture of the dominant

class to ensure power and enforce their ideas by passing them to the next generation.

Furthermore, if the educator chooses to be neutral by avoiding political opinions, they are

making a political choice that further marginalizes the student – in turn reinforcing the status

quo and creating a space that ignores the fears and concerns of the students. Over time, the

educational system has been structured to reproduce the same socio-cultural experiences and

stick to the accepted narrative of the ruling elite.

Colonialism's legacy is all about power, who has it, and who is being denied it. For

most post-colonial states, their indigenous experiences have been framed by

Imperialism/Colonialism and have forever become a part of their versions of modernity. For

instance, the American state celebrates Christopher Columbus as a "hero" despite being a

thief, slave trader, and tyrant. On the other hand, the American education system suppresses

indigenous literature where such "heroes" are not received with the same enthusiasm – it has

become part of an annual ritual of intellectual dishonesty that sanitizes history and turns half-

truths into absolute truths. Education in the post-colonial state is highly discriminatory and

reeks of colonial legacies. The attitudes shaped by the colonial state are reproduced through

educational institutes in the post-colonial state – schooling during the colonial era contributed

to the broader colonial agenda, which facilitated the "civilization" of the indigenous

population and is still being used as an instrument to promote the state narrative. Moreover,
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the education system informed by colonial legacies fosters a sense of double-consciousness

and furthers the inferior-complex-ridden attitudes towards 'indigenous language, culture, and

knowledge.'

While the indigenous experience of Colonialism has left part of our society in

shambles and penurious, the colonial experience has also become a point of connection for

some semblance of solidarity. According to Fanon, "Decolonization is a historical process: as

it cannot be understood, it cannot become intelligible nor clear to itself except in the exact

measure that we can discern the movements which give it historical form and content"

(Fanon 36). To truly work toward a society free from colonial legacies, there has to be a

movement for decolonization – not a single event that changes everything but a series of

changes over the years. To decolonize our classrooms refers to unlearning things, listening to

those who have not been heard, and acknowledging that one may not know everything. Thus,

one may question, is there room for indigenous knowledge in the post-colonial education

system, and if decolonizing classrooms can make space for indigeneity?

Colonizing Knowledge

In its aftermath, Colonialism has distorted the socio-historical development of the

colonized state, and the crises that post-colonial states face is a result of colonial exploitation

(Taiwo 891). While Colonialism is often viewed as drawing resources back to the center, it

can also be seen as a system that distributed ideas and materials outward. Edward Said's

concept of 'positional superiority' is relevant in "conceptualizing the ways in which

knowledge and culture were as much a part of imperialism as raw materials and military

strength." In essence, Imperialism allowed for the extraction, appropriation, and distribution

of knowledge in a systemic and organized manner (Smith 61).

As a result of Imperialism, Western knowledge has benefited from the colonization

of indigenous knowledge, either it is science, medicine or poetry, etc. As Ngugi wa Thinog'o

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puts it, the colonized are victims of the 'colonization of the mind' as the knowledge gained by

the colonizers was used in turn to colonize/consolidate more power over the indigenous

population (Thinog'o, Preface: xii). The rise of modernity (Renaissance + Enlightenment)

brought upon the formation of the modern state. As a result of these movements, society

started promoting liberal ideas like individualism, self-interest, and a rational rule of law in

the public sphere while allowing people to exercise their freedom in the form of economic

egotism. The capacity to reason and to realize this potential through educating oneself

allowed for humans to consolidate a "systemic form of organizing knowledge." In search of

newer markets and raw materials, the West was able to carry out the systemic colonization of

indigenous populations – leading to the discovery of indigenous knowledge, which became

"commodities of colonial exploitation." Soon after this, an "imaginary line that allowed for

the political division of the world between the east and the West, using knowledge as a tool

of power and domination" - establishing a "positional superiority of Western knowledge"

(Smith 62-63).

Colonialism, at a cultural level, opened up the ideas, experiences, and culture of the

'other' which helped de-humanize them and establish hierarchies – ranking them as 'nearly

humans' or 'sub-humans.' James Clifford describes this practice as a form of culture collecting

(read: stealing) which were often labeled as 'primitive' and measured in accordance with

western 'standards' (Clifford 231 – 235). Colonialism was not just limited to collection but is

also associated with colonizing it and re-distributing it. For instance, the use of Latin

linguistics for plants and animals to ensure a more 'organized' approach to collection, with the

Imperial state at the center for collection and distribution and the colonies became

peripheries, gaining access to 'new' knowledge. "The globalization of knowledge and western

culture re-affirmed the West's view of itself as the source of civilized/legitimate knowledge"

(Smith 65-66).
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Colonized Classrooms

The primary agency the Colonizers used to impose their 'positional superiority' over

knowledge, language, and culture was by colonizing classrooms – colonial education started

in the shape of missionaries preaching religion (the British missionaries translated the Bible

into Punjabi) and then came into public schooling. The colonial education was in line with

the plan to assimilate and acculture indigenous language, knowledge, and culture and

reproduce their own culture and ideas. For this purpose, the colonial masters created a new

class of indigenous elites who would be educated in the ways of the colonizers and could

serve in domains of power. Specific individuals who showed potential were groomed for

advanced education in the imperial home state, so in turn, their socio-cultural and economic

inclinations aligned with that of the colonizers. "These hierarchies of knowledge were

developed by the center, taking into account the "discoveries" made in the "new world," and

the peripheries (colonies) keep reproducing domesticated versions of this knowledge" (Smith

68).

Foucault describes 'power relations' as something that "circulates in an organization"

where individuals are always in the position to "experience or exercise this power" (Foucault

234). This particular quality of language makes it political, which implies that it can be

wielded to serve the interests of those in control. The colonizers used language in domains of

power, including formal institutions and state apparatus, to exercise their knowledge, ideas,

and culture – in turn, increasing their control over the indigenous population. For instance,

the state of Punjabi in Pakistan due to the inferior-complex-ridden attitudes shaped towards it

in the colonial era. Fanon argues that colonial domination initiates a process of internalization
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– "creating a feeling of negativity, self-hatred, and a sense of inferiority in the colonized

population even after their emancipation" (Burney 50). In turn, markers of shame are

associated with indigenous language, knowledge, and culture. To this day, the educational

system remains set up in a westernized and colonial perspective, which means the colonizer's

language, knowledge, and culture serve as markers of prestige, wealth, and ambition. In

essence, the colonization of the classrooms creates attitudes that institutionalize racism,

meaning the colonized participates in their oppression and makes them tone-deaf – a

pertinent example would be students from a particular Pakistani educational institute

'celebrating' Daaku day by dressing in Ajrak (a symbol of Sindhi culture) and looting their

juniors. While many claim 'it's a tradition, it's a way to blow off steam,' it mocks the

indigenous Sindhi culture by upholding several stereotypes that can be traced back to the

colonial era – it comes off as insensitive and speaks to the level to which indigenous

language, knowledge, and culture has assimilated.

Moreover, classrooms are areas of discipline as it serves as a way of organizing

people through knowledge, ideas, and language. The colonization of the indigenous requires

to the colonizer to separate and exclude them. Ngugi Wo Thinog'o shares his experience of

growing up in Colonial Kenya and how a "considerable part of the colonial subjugation

process was controlling the language of students in school – a divorce between the language

of the community and the language at school." This was a signature colonial tactic used to

discipline students, which he elaborates in his book 'Decolonizing the Mind' – he shares his

experience from "his colonial school where the student, if caught speaking Gikuyu was given

corporal punishment or made wear a plate with inscriptions like 'I am a donkey' or 'I am

stupid' – attaching a sense of shame and fear to their indigenous self/language/culture which

took them further from their world to the other worlds" (Thinog'o 11-12). Moreover, since

most post-colonial states still use English as the dominant language in the domains of power,
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people associate a disciplined and civilized life with the use of said language over indigenous

language.

Transforming Education

Even after decades of emancipation, the colonized are still trapped under the

colonial legacies left behind by the colonizers. Even though classrooms are still colonized,

they have a unique opportunity to serve as decolonizing sites against neo-liberal narratives. In

a decolonizing classroom, we must look to create a more inclusive space – "a classroom can

serve as a territory where the struggle against oppression and dehumanization can move from

memory to a space to create renewed narratives of resistance, transformation, and

inclusiveness" (Diversi 472). Upon decolonizing classrooms, one can create a space that is

inclusive and pushes everyone to understand how to navigate the complex globalized world

order.

To this day, the "Indigenous communities continue to suffer high levels of socio-

cultural, economic, and political inequality. Education and schooling are complex sites of

cultural oppression and thus require a range of complex responses." There are two significant

processes through which education and the classroom can be transformed to more effectively

meet the "learning and socio-cultural aspirations of the indigenous population." The first step

towards this is to "critically analyze the function of schooling played in the colonial setting.

Secondly, it is essential to improve schooling and educational outcomes for Indigenous

students" (Smith, T. 813-814).

The colonial state used education and schooling as an instrument of power and

domination. The colonizers used education to create a class of indigenous elites who went on
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to reproduce the socio-cultural values they inherited from their colonial masters. To begin the

course of decolonization, one must start at decolonizing this mindset. "No matter how

dominant a worldview, there are always other ways to look at it" (Bear 77). The notion

allows for educational leaders/non-indigenous to acknowledge that knowledge is not linear,

and there are other worldviews that exist. Due to the barriers to education, even if indigenous

people make it into a classroom, they are treated differently, perpetuating the status quo and

creating negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Institutionalized racism creates negative

stereotypes towards indigenous students and fosters ignorant attitudes amongst non-

indigenous students (Smith 50). According to St. Dennis, it is not enough to teach people to

accept other cultures, but these people must be made uncomfortable in order to show them

how they have normalized racist attitudes (St. Dennis 59).

Another critical aspect of decolonizing education is "professional development – in

order for schools to accommodate indigenous students, the staff should have an

understanding of what they can do in their day-to-day practice." Moreover, the educator must

have the capacity to learn and become "agents of change" in order to bring real change

(Smith T. 52). The educator must let go of this insincere notion of remaining neutral and

should be able to take a stand. The educator should be able to "acknowledge their role in

perpetuating a problematic status quo and understand how it makes them complicit with the

powers that marginalize indigenous students." According to NCTE (National Council of

Teachers of English), teachers should be able to struggle with their role in the larger problem

rather than viewing themselves as honorable and helpful for supporting indigenous students

(NCTE).

A critical factor in decolonizing education is building the relationship between the

teachers and indigenous students in order to understand them better and on how to educate

them. According to Tiffany Smith, it is crucial to create indigenous language programs in

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order to give back what has been lost and help preserve their culture as language carries

culture, and without it, culture/cultural identity would be lost forever. Students must be

involved in developing knowledge, content, and curriculum, which will help diversify and

embrace the differences – "building relationships in reciprocity are essential for

decolonization." Decolonizing education will require a shift from the linear forms of

knowledge and schooling – it must meet the needs of the student rather than focusing on what

they lack (Smith T. 54-56).

Conclusion

To decolonize education and schooling, there must be acceptance of indigenous

knowledge, language, and culture. In order to bring any sort of change, the student must be at

the center of any change that might happen, and the use of education as an instrument of

power must be sidelined. In light of everything discussed in the paper above, the priority for

individuals should be decolonizing the mind, but the question begs, who will engage in these

debates and how will it be received. Any step towards decolonizing classrooms is a step

against the status quo, which can be a daunting task. As a person who studies under a

colonized environment (i.e., Pakistan's education system), I have to believe that there is room

for indigenous knowledge in the post-colonial society and that change begins from each

individual.
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