Trampling the sacred: multicultural education as pedagogical racism

Abstract

The following paper is a critical examination involving the misuse of sacred cultural tools and practices in the name of multicultural education. Native American practices are identified to illustrate how such inappropriate usages promote pedagogical racism. The misuse continues the hegemonic distribution of social capital. Through the irresponsible portrayal of complex and sophisticated cultures, American education continues to perpetuate pedagogical violence against children who are already socially and educationally disenfranchised. Using Freire, Giroux, Deloria, and Grande, this paper will identify strategies of communication and education necessary to eliminate pedagogical racism and begin to reverse the violence against children.

Keywords:

• Native American
• education
• sacred