Abstract
This paper depicts how an Afro-Brazilian carnival group turned community development organization addresses socioeconomic inequalities by educating a traditionally marginalized population as part of their larger goal of the preservation of black culture and full citizenship. Specifically, it examines the theory and practice of interethnic pedagogy, a unique approach to critical pedagogy specifically focused on incorporating the experiences and values of subaltern groups. Through ethnographic passages and analysis it examines their work in formal education at Escola Criativa Olodum in Salvador, Bahia and shows how Afro-Brazilian teachers, students and administrators engage in learning experiences while they strive to understand and redefine their own educational processes and outcomes. Lastly, through the lens of racial formation theory, it attempts to explain how these educators and activists periodically adjust their methods and considers their potential impact on Brazilian society.
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Judith King-Calnek has over 20 years experience of research in Brazil. She holds a Ph.D. in comparative education and anthropology from Columbia University Teachers College as well as two master’s degrees (curriculum and teaching and anthropology and education) from the same institution, and a BA from Pomona College. She taught anthropology at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, and presently teaches anthropology, history and theory of knowledge at the United Nations International School, where her children are students. Other publications have focused on differentiating curriculum for the gifted, world hunger, distance teaching, and evaluations of U.S. funded non-formal education projects overseas. In addition to her teaching and researching, Judith King-Calnek pursues her long time love of Brazilian music and jazz as a radio programmer and producer in the New York area, for which she has received numerous awards. She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.
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King-Calnek, J.E. Education for Citizenship: Interethnic Pedagogy and Formal Education at Escola Criativa Olodum. Urban Rev 38, 145–164 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-006-0028-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-006-0028-4