ISSN:
1361-3324
Language:
English
Titel der Quelle:
Race, ethnicity and education
Publ. der Quelle:
Abingdon : Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis
Angaben zur Quelle:
Vol. 18, No. 2 (2015), p. 251-276
DDC:
370
Abstract:
This article extends upon Susan Dion's theory of the 'perfect stranger' by exploring how this position is articulated and embodied by white teachers (N = 67) involved in urban Indigenous education reform. On the lookout for deconstruction, we think with Derrida around the interrelated self/other and familiar/strange binaries that uphold the perfect stranger. We argue that Eurocentrism simultaneously centres and obscures whiteness, resulting in teachers' misconceptions about culture. We also demonstrate how stereotypical representations of the 'imaginary Indian' that these white teachers 'know' inhibits their ability to foster and build upon relationships with Indigenous students. We conclude by conceptualizing a model for teacher education that, through a variety of teaching practices and policies, intentionally disrupts and destabilizes the perfect stranger position.
Note:
Copyright: © 2013 Taylor & Francis 2013
DOI:
10.1080/13613324.2012.759932
URL:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13613324.2012.759932