Coloniality-Decoloniality and Critical Global Citizenship: Identity, Belonging, and Education Abroad

Abstract

This article draws on existing literature, a large, multi-institutional dataset, and several case studies to explore two empirical questions: Do students of color (SOC) differ from white students in statistically significant ways, in respect to the global learning goal of cultural humility? And what interactive effects do students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, diversity and inclusion advocacy, and diverse community contexts have on one another? We draw on existing literature and quantitative data to demonstrate that SOC tend to bring strengths to global learning experiences. We share several case studies to demonstrate how those strengths may lead to specific alliances regarding justice work in host communities, complicating any conception of students as visitors unattached to local justice struggles. Throughout the article, we draw on current literature and practice to present several questions at the intersections of education abroad, diversity, equity, inclusion, community-based global learning, and critical global citizenship.

Disrupting Neoliberal and Neocolonial Ideologies in U.S. Study Abroad: From Discourse to Intervention

“…This rhetoric represents the problematic assumptions and expectations surrounding international education that study abroad, in and of itself, automatically results in crosscultural interaction which leads to future success (Doerr, 2012(Doerr, , 2013(Doerr, , 2015Ogden, 2006). On the contrary, research continues to tell us a different story, that "global citizenship" or "intercultural learning" is highly dependent on multiple factors including but not limited to the structure and length of the program (Czerwionka, Artamonova, and Barbosa, 2015;Walters, Charles, and Bingham, 2017); demographics (Goldoni, 2018;Terzuolo, 2018); identity (Hartman et al, 2020;Johnstone, Lachelle Smith, & Malmgren, 2020) and pedagogical approaches (Mikulec, 2019;Perry, Stoner & Tarrant, 2012).…”

“…Scholars are also supporting decolonizing pedagogies as a mode to disrupt colonial discourses and Grand Tour mentalities to encourage critical study abroad practices (Hartman et al, 2020;MacDonald, 2014;Ramírez, 2013). Adkins and Messerly (2019) presented a framework for a decolonizing pedagogy, which similarly to Reilly and Senders (2009) confronts the lack of local participation and voice within study abroad.…”

Listening to the Voices of Students Who Studied Abroad

“…Literature confirms that institutional support is a key influencer for students to choosing to study abroad. Positive institutional practices promote diversity and inclusion (Hamir & Gozik, 2018) and ethical practices (Hartman et al, 2020). Positive support for study abroad staff (Robertson, 2019) provides positive learning experiences.…”

Emergent, Relational Revolution: What More Do We Have to Learn from Jane Addams?

“…For instance, this approach could reframe service as a critical opportunity to situate oneself in an embodied and relational way across diverse communities. According to Eric Hartman and his colleagues, the resultant increase in diverse spaces alongside honest engagement within the tensions can spotlight “the problematic nature of many of our sector's entrenched practices, calling us to consider new ways of thinking and operating that are ultimately even more inclusive through deep engagement with questions of equity” (Hartman et al 2020, 37). Sustained service, for Addams, is essential for understanding the context-bound specificities in our social systems.…”