Reflexivity as a pedagogical act: unveiling the self in the shadows of complicity and coloniality in teaching and academia

ABSTRACT

This article is a deep dive into the realms of self-exploration and self-reflection, emanating from the perspective of a Black Latin American male doctoral student based in the global north. Building upon the works of Sofia Villenas and Nina Asher, it revaluates the author’s academic journey and teaching practice, highlighting his dichotomous experiences in the system of global domination. The study investigates the arguably, contradictory colonising practices that the author has inadvertently engaged in, presenting them through the lens of his unique ethnic-racial background. By exploring Fanon and Grande’s theoretical contributions, the paper contributes to the understanding of complicity in perpetuating systems of domination. Crucially, it emphasises self-recognition and self-reflection as vital pedagogical tools for educators and researchers, offering avenues for deconstructing prevailing power dynamics. This article is an honest, self-reflexive and critical effort that places the author’s experiences and situatedness in conversation with decolonial work and literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-reflection
• pedagogical practice
• academic situatedness
• complicity
• coloniality

Acknowledgements

This work was initially crafted in the course CI 8148–Conducting Qualitative Studies in Educational Contexts under the guidance of Dr Nina Asher during the Fall semester of 2022. In this context, I am deeply indebted to Dr Asher for her insights and encouragement that helped shape the preliminary stages of this work. My appreciation also extends to my esteemed mentor, Patricia Cerón, from Colombia. Her unfailing support and mentorship throughout this journey have been instrumental and are warmly acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. I use the term ‘white-mestizo’ or ’blanco-mestizo’ in line with the interpretation suggested by Huarcaya. This term reflects a category of collective attribution, usually utilised in academic literature and journalism, rather than a form of personal self-ascription. The term emerged due to the diminishing distinctiveness in clothing styles that used to differentiate cholos, mestizos, and blancos, leading to the existence of two primary classifications: indigenous and non-indigenous dress. It is worth noting that the declaration ‘I am blanco-mestizo’ might be considered an oxymoron within contemporary racialised understandings. Being a mestizo – inherently associated with some degree of indigenous ancestry – generally excludes one from being considered blanco, which signifies whiteness or European ancestry (Huarcaya 2010, 307).

2. I use this term deriving from the research by Rogers and Way (2016). They explored how adolescents form identities by accommodating (i.e., accepting and endorsing) and resisting (i.e., challenging) cultural stereotypes. The term ‘resistant’ here is associated with consciously challenging and rejecting the stereotypes rather than conforming to them. Rogers and Way specifically studied Black adolescent males, finding that they were more inclined to resist racial stereotypes than gender stereotypes. Their research identified three paths: ‘accommodators’, endorsed racial and gender stereotypes; ‘resisters’, who defied both stereotypes; and ‘exceptions’, who resisted racial stereotypes but accommodated gender ones. Therefore, ‘resistant’ stereotypes in this context refer to those actively challenged and rejected stereotypes, playing a crucial role in my identity formation process and my attitude towards schooling.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fulbright Colombian under grant GNT- 20212058 administered by Laspau Organization.