Defamiliarization in advancing a decolonial approach to global citizenship education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate whether defamiliarization used in schools by some preservice teachers during their teaching practice can be considered an appropriate decolonizing pedagogical practice for advancing global citizenship education (GCE). The research used a case study design, with data collected in the form of reflection essays from 11 preservice teachers during their teaching practice period. The findings indicate that the specific defamiliarization practice used by these teachers aided both them and their students, through a reflective and collaborative process, in recognizing and critiquing the hierarchical knowledge paradigm in the current school curriculum and consciously resisting epistemic violence. The defamiliarization practice increased participants’ self-reflexivity and served as a pedagogy of dissensus. This is a novel study in that it accounts for the perceived benefits of defamiliarization in advancing certain aspects of critical GCE from the Global South.