Critical Pedagogy and Anti-Blackness in Education

Critical pedagogy constitutes an educational theory and practice that foregrounds social justice, dialogue and the transformation of oppressive structures. Originating in the work of Paulo Freire, it posits that education is inherently political and that learners should be active co-creators of knowledge. Anti-Blackness refers to the specific form of racism that positions Black people as subject to exclusion, dehumanisation and systemic violence within cultural, institutional and curricular contexts. The intersection of these frameworks draws attention to how conventional schooling perpetuates racial hierarchies through curricula that marginalise Black histories, pedagogical methods that silence Black voices and disciplinary regimes that disproportionately target Black learners. Contemporary research explores the lived experiences of Black students across diverse settings, the role of teacher preparation in cultivating critical consciousness and the potential of trauma-informed and Black-centred approaches to build resilience and collective empowerment. Globally, educators are reimagining curricula to centre Black epistemologies, interrogating colonial legacies embedded in assessment design and fostering solidarity across racial and cultural lines. Practical applications include redesigning teacher education programmes to nurture reflective practitioners, embedding restorative justice practices in classrooms and leveraging policy advocacy to dismantle systemic barriers to equity.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Critical Pedagogy and Anti-Blackness in Education publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in critical pedagogy and anti-blackness in education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Critical pedagogy: An educational approach that foregrounds social justice, learner agency and the critique of power dynamics within teaching and curriculum design.

Anti-Blackness: A distinct form of racism that devalues Black lives, cultures and knowledges, manifesting in exclusionary and dehumanising institutional practices.

BlackCrit: A theoretical lens extending Critical Race Theory, centred on the unique histories, epistemologies and liberatory struggles of Black people.

Trauma-informed care: A framework that recognises the impact of racial trauma on learners and adapts policies and practices to foster safety, healing and resilience within educational settings.

References

1. Experiences of Anti-Blackness in Islamic Educational Spaces: Implications for Islamic Teacher Education. Education Sciences (2023).
2. Racially Just, Trauma-Informed Care for Black Students. Urban Education (2023).
3. Dreaming beyond education policy: a BlackCrit analysis of ESEA and ESSA. Journal for Multicultural Education (2023).