Liberation Geographies and Education: Spatializing Liberatory Futures Through Black and Dalit/Caste-Oppressed Solidarity Building

Abstract

This project explored how public education in Canada can be imagined through solidarity building between Black and Dalit/Caste-oppressed youth. ‘Dalit’ is a name reclaimed by Caste- oppressed folks or individuals excluded by the South Asian Caste system, and Caste in South Asia is a system of religiously codified exclusion not unlike anti-Black racism. Anti-Black racism is a rampant reality in Canadian public schools. When it comes to issues of Casteism, similar research has not been explored extensively, however, emergent research shows the ways in which Casteism is an area of concern in Canadian education. While Canadian educational institutions are beginning to place an emphasis on dismantling anti-Black racism and Casteism, there are no works to date that have focused on intersectional solidarity. This study argues by building solidarity networks between the victims of Casteism and racism, Canadian educational institutions will be able to create equitable learning spaces for both Black and Caste-oppressed students. The theoretical anchors of this work are grounded in radical Black studies, Black and Dalit liberation geographies, Land-based theories, and anti-colonialism. The methodology informing this work comes from Critical Participatory Inquiry. Fifteen Canadian youth worked in collaboration with Teacher Candidates to think about how education can respond to the needs of both Black and Dalit/Caste-Oppressed students. Their collective work led to the development of two educational projects to advance Black-Dalit/Caste-oppressed solidarities in education.