Response to Manion and Shah (2019)-Chengshu Luo

2024-07-15 02:34:05 UTC

This article provides a comprehensive discussion on how knowledge is produced, by whom, on what topics, and for what purposes, through a lens that combines decolonization and feminism. It challenges the knowledge hierarchies where indigenous and other non-dominant knowledge and epistemologies are denigrated and marginalized in mainstream cultures. I appreciate the viewpoint that, alongside decolonization, essentialism, and the intersection of gender, race, and social status, education serves as a vehicle for shaping notions of womanhood and girlhood that align with the needs of nation-states and patriarchal societies. Looking back on my living experience, I witnessed the persistence of oppression and inequality experienced by women across generations, which are influenced by both feudalism and imperialism. For example, women have been long marginalized in the labor market. Even though efforts by some women to combat gender inequity in the workforce, many continue to shoulder family responsibilities such as childcare, elder care, housework, etc. Moreover, oppressed women often pass on these traditional gender roles to the next generation of women, particularly in highly religious communities, perpetuating cycles of gender-based oppression in women.

Reference

Manion, C., & Shah, P. (2019). Decolonizing gender and education research: unsettling and recasting feminist knowledges, power and research practices. Gender and Education, 31(4), 445–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2019.1596392

Decolonizing Perspectives - Francis Bryn Jones

2024-07-16 18:35:41 UTC

I decided to choose the article by Iheduru-Anderson & Waite (2024), as I was fascinated about learning more about the teachings of the renowned educator Paulo Freire, and wanted to read up on some of the ways we can decolonize education in nursing. Healthcare is a central component in our society, and like education, it has often been underfunded, and has also kept a traditional curricular design which remains problematic to many in society. “Curricular reforms considering diverse perspectives may better prepare nurses to mitigate the structural mechanisms that naturally foster health care disparities” (Iheduru-Anderson & Waite, 2024). Along with promoting more respect towards these valuable health care providers, decolonization of education will allow more student nurses the abilities of understanding about positionality and Intersectionality with themselves, their colleagues, their patients, and their patient’s families. This will undoubtedly create better personalized care programs for everyone.

Since power, oppression, and ultimately colonization is connected, and has continued to marginalize many vulnerable people, it is crucial that we take steps to retrain our future healthcare students. This is paramount, as these individuals hold power within our society, like educators, and ought to hold a high moral authority. Moreover, many things are lost to colonization when we think of the oppressed. For example, “when traditional indigenous health practices were marginalized during colonization” (Iheduru-Anderson & Waite, 2024), much important knowledge was eradicated, often losing connections to the environment, and family tradition. We would be wise to value more that one way of thinking. In fact, 2 eyed seeing, or a practice of utilizing both Western science and Indigenous teachings together, will help us all better understand the need to decolonize education so that we may be open to more of humanity. By co-constructing curriculum and reflecting on incorporating the best sections of many teachings, and not exclusively that of the colonizers, we will be able to begin to dig our way out of the ongoing healthcare crisis, and provide better and more equitable care to everyone.

Iheduru-Anderson, K., & Waite, R. (2024). Decolonizing nursing education: Reflecting on Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed. Nursing Outlook, 72(4), 102183–102183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102183

Two-eyed seeing. Guiding Principles (Two Eyed Seeing) | Integrative Science. (n.d.). http://www.integrativescience.ca/Principles/TwoEyedSeeing/

Decolonizing Perspectives by Diane Watt

Response to Manion and Shah (2019)-Chengshu Luo

Decolonizing Perspectives - Francis Bryn Jones