Toward emancipatory education: an application of Habermasian theory to Native American educational policy

Abstract

This piece is an examination of the efficacy of the use of Habermasian models of communication and education in developing an effective emancipatory model of education for Native American populations. The general field of epistemology, from the dominant and Native American perspectives, will be explored to determine the overlap between the Habermasian view and that exhibited in the Native American perspective. The work is driven by the foundation premise that the Habermasian method allows for the broadening of epistemology to include indigenous ways of knowing, subsequently enhancing Native American pedagogy.

Keywords:

• Habermas
• emancipatory
• Native American