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Beyond Inquiry: Towards the Specificity of Anti-Blackness Studies in STEM Education

Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education volume 18, pages 242–256 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

This article explores the concept of anti-blackness as a theoretical construct that may offer new openings towards transformative and liberatory projects concerned with race and inequity in STEM education research, policy, and pedagogical reform. The article first unpacks the historic, economic, political, and therefore racialized contexts of the ubiquitous bundle of STEM education reforms known as “inquiry.” Then, an overview of key theoretical constructs from Black Studies is provided, along with a more specific overview of how the framing ideas of BlackCrit (Dumas and Ross 2016) allow for more incisive examinations of anti-blackness in school contexts. Through the illustrative example of inquiry, the author shows how a BlackCrit analytic of anti-blackness might reframe inquiry in STEM as an anti-black construct. Implications related to the teaching and learning of STEM are discussed.

Résumé

Cet article étudie le concept d’anti-négritude en tant que construction théorique susceptible d’offrir de nouvelles possibilités concernant différents projets transformateurs et libérateurs centrés sur les concepts raciaux et les inégalités qui existent dans la recherche, les politiques et les réformes pédagogiques dans le domaine de l’enseignement des sciences, des technologies, de l’ingénierie et des mathématiques (STEM). L’article décortique d’abord le contexte historique, économique et politique (donc racialisé) de l’ensemble omniprésent de réformes en enseignement des STEM connues sous le nom d’enquête. Ces contextes révèlent la relation intime qui persiste entre l’enseignement des STEM, l’impérialisme américain et la suprématie blanche. Suit un aperçu des concepts théoriques clés en études des Noirs, ouvrant la porte à une analyse plus approfondie qui traite de la façon dont les prémisses de la BlackCrit (Dumas and Ross 2016), permettent des analyses plus détaillées portant sur l’anti-négritude dans les contextes scolaires. À travers l’exemple représentatif de l’enquête, l’auteur montre comment une approche analytique de l’anti-négritude sous le prisme BlackCrit pourrait reformuler l’enquête liée aux STEM en tant que construction théorique anti-Noirs. Les ramifications liées à l’enseignement et à l’apprentissage des STEM sont également abordées.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Before being broadly released into the public ether, NCLB was informally unveiled by Bush in a 2000 address at the 91st Annual NAACP Convention. The rhetorics of uplift, entrepreneurialism, social justice, and school achievement were central themes.

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    Stacia Cedillo

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Cedillo, S. Beyond Inquiry: Towards the Specificity of Anti-Blackness Studies in STEM Education. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 18, 242–256 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-018-0025-0

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Keywords

  • Inquiry
  • Race
  • Anti-blackness
  • STEM education reform