Abstract
In the Global South, particularly in South Africa, neoliberal curricula face opposition from higher education students, as seen in the #Feesmustfall and #Rhodesmustfall campaigns. These movements resist the prioritisation of Western/European values over African knowledge, reinforcing epistemic racism and disregarding students’ perspectives. In Germany, recent social and academic discourses have increased awareness of the country’s colonial history. However, many Germans remain unaware of this history and its relevance, often associating racism solely with National Socialism, thus ignoring ongoing institutional racism. Learners with migration backgrounds face limited opportunities within the neoliberal German school system. Additionally, racism and colonialism are not mandatory topics in teacher education. This study explores the pedagogical approach of defamiliarisation, based on Andreotti’s (2014) critical approach to Global Citizenship Education (GCE), to challenge neoliberalism’s negative connotations in both the Global North and South. By centring pre-service teachers as critical global citizens, this socially just pedagogy aims to mitigate neoliberalism’s negative impacts. Defamiliarisation has shown benefits in challenging South African students’ perceptions and decolonising their perspectives by disrupting the dominant Global North knowledge paradigm (Waghid & Hibbert, 2018a; Waghid & Hibbert, 2018b). We examine how a short film highlighting neoliberalism’s oppressive nature can foster meaningful dialogue and enhance students’ emotional and intellectual engagement. Additionally, we discuss how critical global citizenship competencies can be strengthened through online collaborative learning using the social networking platform Flipgrid, promoting collaboration and communication between South African and German students, and raising awareness of their societal roles.
Presenters
Zayd WaghidAssociate Professor, Global Institute for Teacher Education and Society, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Western Cape, South Africa Susanne Leitner
Junior Professor for Inclusive Education, Participatory Sciences/ Special Needs Education, Ludwigsburg University of Education, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Global Citizenship Education, Defamiliarisation, Collaborative Online International Learning, Social justice
