Responsive pedagogical love as mitigation against antiblackness

Abstract

Previous research suggested that within high schools first- or second-generation African immigrants endure systemic racism in the form of zero tolerance discipline policies, academic tracking, and hegemonic curricula. Subsequently, these same experiences are even more pronounced in college environments where antiblackness is ubiquitous. This qualitative single composite narrative inquiry applied antiblackness and pedagogical love in concert to examine the epistemological perspectives of five self-identifying male collegians of African descent who benefitted from interacting with Black professors who prepared participants to navigate White professor performances of antiblackness in academic, social and organization spaces while attending college. Findings indicated that responsive pedagogical love facilitated the development of two distinct cultural love literacy practices – trauma acknowledgement and trauma resistance – each enacted as responsive strategies to combat hegemonic conditions.

Keywords:

• African immigrants
• Black collegians
• antiblackness
• pedagogical love

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bryan K. Hotchkins

Bryan K. Hotchkins is an assistant professor of higher education at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. His research focuses on how organization climate, context and culture shape leadership performance while examining how leaders navigate the geographies of racism, implicit bias and identity-based trauma.