Fostering Critical Colonial Consciousness Through Queer Pedagogy

Abstract

In this chapter, the author uses Barthes’ philosophical concept of colonial consciousness and Freire’s concept of conscientization to philosophize the need for a more inclusive education system in Jamaica—one that embraces a queer pedagogy. One of Barthes’ theories is that people who were formally colonized end up perpetuating and enacting colonized ideologies. The theory of the colonized becoming the colonizer is similar to Freire’s writings in Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1993), where Freire theorized about the ease with which the colonized take on traits of the colonizer and keep this oppressive circle alive. Barthes referred to the perpetuation of colonial ideologies as colonial consciousness. In the first section of the chapter, the author discusses Barthes’ philosophy of colonial consciousness and illustrates ways in which it manifests in the heteronormative practices in the Jamaican education system. Next, the author explains the need to enact Freire’s concept of conscientization in the classroom to develop a critical awareness of the social norms of the Jamaican society and its education system through reflection and action. In the last section of the chapter, the author suggests the need to practice a queer pedagogy as one way to work towards a more inclusive education system, which will develop critical consciousness and push students to question normativity and work toward a more inclusive society.