Open discussion forum by Teach For All

Hi everyone! Someone asked a good question over email that I would like to share here: What does unlearning the majority narrative mean (from the Awareness section)?

Here is what we mean: "a majority narrative" is a familiar story, usually about a particular group of people. The majority narrative, sometimes called a "dominant narrative," exists to uphold certain power dynamics in society. “Unlearning” means to be made aware of the idea, process it and how it limits or empowers you (depending on if you are someone with earned or unearned power/privilege in society), and grow into who you are on your own true terms.

Let's take an example. Gender. In many countries, women are seen as followers or caregivers, not in leadership positions in the workplace or in politics. Because there is a story (a majority narrative) about women not being leaders, many girls around the world internalize that idea in little and big ways growing up. They don’t see themselves represented very often in leadership positions in their countries. They don’t see themselves as heroines in stories. They don’t see women in their communities having the same economic power as men. And, what ends up happening, is girls can start to believe that this idea is true about themselves: that they aren’t leaders. That they can’t have power. That it is inappropriate to speak up or take charge in a situation. So they become quiet and shy. They are uncomfortable making decisions. They don’t aspire to be leaders in their communities. In short, they start to believe the ideas and expectations society has of them.

Please don’t mishear me: I am not saying that it is a bad thing to be shy or to hold a non-leadership position. This concept is about what people believe about themselves, who people truly are and what they are truly capable of, and about how society influences those beliefs about who they are and what they are capable of. This is about supporting students to love and believe in themselves, and shed negative ideas about themselves, their culture, and their communities and embrace and develop their assets and strengths.

What do other people think? What are examples of "majority narratives" in your contexts that impact you or your students?

Here is an example of how this manifests in classrooms across my country, the United States. This is Brittany Packnett, a community organizer and leader with Black Lives Matter and Teach For America:

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