Description
Language and literacy education in the decolonial project seeks to centralise indigenous knowledge systems in order to transform established colonial relations of power (Maldonado-Torres, 2012; Tuck & Yang, 2012), while critical pedagogies enable a ‘speaking-back’ to power (Freire & Macedo, 1987). Each perspective comes with its own vision of transformation, educational practice, and assumptions, especially where English still holds a position of cultural and linguistic power. Scotland, both as an instrument and beneficiary of colonialism as part of the British empire, as well as a victim of colonisation, represents the tenuous negotiations of identity with history, politics and power. While moves have been made in education to regain a Scottish identity through the inclusion of Scots language and the positioning of Scottish literature in the secondary English curriculum (McCall, 2002; Unger, 2010), questions about criticality and (de)colonisation still need further exploration (Millar, 2006; Akdag & Swanson, 2018).This has implications for the interpretation and implementation of the policy (Costa, 2015). Through a thematic content analysis, I explore how Scottish English language and literacy educational policy constructs criticality and notions of (de)coloniality, if at all. I then consider the potential for critical literacies to serve as a means for transformative social-semiotic action and interaction in the decolonisation of English language and literacy education.| Period | 17 Feb 2020 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Strathclyde University Research Seminar Series |
| Event type | Seminar |
| Location | Glasgow, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | National |
Keywords
- critical literacy
- literacy
- Scotland
- Curriculum for Excellence
- English
- language
- power
- diversity
- colonialism
- decoloniality
Documents & Links
Related content
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Projects
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Critical Literacies & the Decolonial Turn
Project: Non-funded project
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Activities
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SATE Webinar Series: Decolonising the (English) Curriculum
Activity: Public Engagement and Outreach › Media Participation
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“What are we supposed to do?”: Critical Literacies & Empire
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Anti-Racist Education Training
Activity: Public Engagement and Outreach › Media Participation
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Jennifer Farrar
Activity: Hosting a visitor types › Hosting an academic visitor
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Kelly Stone
Activity: Hosting a visitor types › Hosting an academic visitor
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Finding a Place for Critical Literacy in Scotland - Between Criticality & (De)Colonialism: Unsettling Perspectives on Language & Literacy Education in Scotland
Activity: Public Engagement and Outreach › Media Participation
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Research output
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How can we all continue to support Diverse Stories throughout the year after #BHM?
Research output: Other contribution