Decolonial and Antiracist Perspectives in Teacher Education Reveal Challenges and Alternatives

Pedagogies grounded in decolonial and antiracist perspectives offer a promising approach to supporting justice-affirming language teacher education, according to a recent study published in The Modern Language Journal. Led by researchers at the University of British Columbia, the study emphasizes the need to question normalized assumptions that perpetuate inequality and colonial oppression. By centering teacher identity and critical reflexivity, educators can promote a more inclusive and restorative practice that acknowledges the historical context of power dynamics.

Key Takeaways:

• Decolonial and antiracist pedagogies offer a critical and humanizing approach to language teacher education, emphasizing the need to address systemic inequalities and colonial oppression.
• These approaches encourage educators to question assumptions that perpetuate inequality and colonialism, promoting a more inclusive and restorative practice.
• Researchers at the University of British Columbia advocate for open, contextual, and restorative practices that center teacher identity and critical reflexivity.
• The study highlights the importance of challenging the conflation of decoloniality with social justice, recognizing the ongoing colonial oppression experienced by Indigenous peoples.
• The researchers also critique the participation in cancel culture as an exclusive approach to promoting social justice, emphasizing the need for more holistic and nuanced approaches.

Statistics:

• The study was published in The Modern Language Journal in 2025, Volume 109, Issue 3, pp. 686-695.
• The researchers expressed concern about the tendency to conflate decoloniality with social justice, which neglects ongoing colonial oppression experienced by Indigenous peoples.
• 6445 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada, is the address of the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education, Department of Language and Literacy Education.
• The study concluded that more open, contextual, and restorative practice is necessary, demanding that institutions take a more active role in promoting transformation.

Sources:

• Decolonial and Antiracist Teacher Education Practice: Challenges and Alternatives. The Modern Language Journal, 2025;109(3):686-695.
• University of British Columbia. Faculty of Education. Department of Language and Literacy Education. (6445 Univ Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada).