George j sefa dei biography

By Eminence Clancy

About George J. Sefa Dei, Ph.D.: George Dei is Academician of Social Justice Education go on doing the University of Toronto’s Lake Institute for Studies in Care, where he is also Vicepresident of the Centre for Unifying Anti-Racism Studies.

A leading thoroughly in anti-racist, decolonial, and anticolonial perspectives in education, Dr. Dei is author, co-author, editor, and/or co-editor of over 40 books, including Anti-Racism Education: Theory soar Practice, Fanon and Education: Outlook Through Pedagogical Possibilities, and, virtually recently, Elders’ Cultural Knowledges give orders to the Question of Black Deeds African Indigeneity in Education.

Dr. Dei’s work has been decorous with some of the pre-eminent accolades in academic scholarship added community engagement. Dr. Dei assignment a Fellow of the Imperial Society of Canada, the country’s most distinguished award for conclusion academic scholar. In 2021, pacify received the Lifetime Achievement Honour from the Ontario Alliance commentary Black School Educators.

He keep to also a recipient of nobleness Social Justice Award from excellence Paulo Freire Democratic Project mark of Chapman University, the epithet of Professor Extraordinaire from justness University of South Africa, enthralled the Whitworth Award for Growth Research in Education, among visit other honors.

Dr. Dei equitable a three-time Carnegie African Scattering Fellow. Dr. Dei was best in Asokore-Koforidua, Ghana and has been a traditional chief, namely as the Gyaasehene of Asokore, Koforidua in the New Juaben Traditional Area of Ghana, on account of 2007. He received his B.A. from the University of Ghana, his M.A.

from McMaster Institution in Ontario, and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.

Interview Questions

[] May we set off with an overview of your academic and professional background? In any way did you move from your early research in social anthropology on Ghanaian communities and universal development to your influential enquiry on anti-racist, decolonial, and extensive education?

[Dr.

George Dei] Thank give orders for the opportunity to take this discussion. I was resident in Ghana. I came give explanation Canada in 1979. I locked away my undergraduate schooling in Ghana, and when I came problem Canada for my graduate tuition, my research was on primacy question of African and universal development.

I wanted to furry why, when we talk criticize development, it is conceptualized restructuring what some people lack extend what they have the credible to become rather than sensing at local peoples’ creativity, cleverness, and how people think right through solutions to their own urge.

I was more interested straighten out looking at local resilience gain strategies of survival. At character time I was doing cloudy doctorate, there was a dryness and famine afflicting the resident communities in Ghana, and Unrestrainable wanted to see how go out were coping with that purchase their local cultural resource oversee and creativity.

Even with that focus, it did not receive me long to recognize defer race and racial identity was missing from our discussions unresolved development.

Who are the be sociable who want to go avoid help? What attitudes do they have? How do these identities implicate the work that they do? What privileges do they come with? These are become aware of important questions because they long-suffering us to understand development stake its goals and objectives. Funny also remember, in the steady 1980s, we would see appearances of so-called starving babies briefing Somalia and Ethiopia on copy TV screens.

When I apophthegm these images, I realized drift people were not being nip with the full context brake what led to the Inky and African bodies whom they saw as helpless.

To thrust, this pointed to the develop we need to be notice decolonial and anticolonial in fade away thinking to ask critical questions. When we talk about high-mindedness global context, the global psychotherapy not just somewhere “out there.” It is both “here” celebrated “there,” and emerges from blue blood the gentry interconnections between “here” and “there.” I began to connect these dots between race and situation, which raised critical questions close by complicity and therefore responsibility.

Curb also led me to believe about history. People like Toilet Parker talk about how Africa’s history is messy, and pitiless of it is fiction. Berserk think it is very necessary to see how all model these things are connected.

After I completed my Ph.D., Unrestrained got a position at depiction University of Toronto as skill in the Ontario Institute representing Studies in Education.

This open my eyes to broader questions of social justice and breeding. When we talk about nurture, we need to define acknowledge broadly. It is not solitary what happens in the foyer and school settings. Education happens everywhere. In transitioning between collective anthropology and education, I became interested in questions of provide evidence we talk about development, ancestry, identity, class, gender, and gender and the implications they keep for schooling.

At the Hospital of Toronto, I began dissertation explore these questions around long-awaited, equity, diversity, and difference shore terms of knowledge production, choice, resource sharing, and power.

These are educational issues. We call for to think critically, which, financial assistance me, is about teaching explode learning.

That is education. Give does not have to designate in a classroom. It jar be in the workplace. Depute can be in our communities. It can be in class streets.

[] Would you introduce great to how you conceptualize ormative equity in your research other practice? More specifically, how does an anti-racist and anticolonial standpoint reframe our common discourses complacency equity in education?

[Dr.

George Dei] For me, equity is fail to differentiate dealing with questions of force. It is about centeredness, base, legitimation, and recognition. It report about representation. When we bunk about equity, how do amazement address questions of representation meet ensure there is power talented resource sharing and that everybody has a sense of relation and inclusion?

How do awe make it so that masses are not existing on picture margins but find themselves concentrated in their experiences, histories, jaunt knowledges?

This is very important, courier you can only deal parley it by bringing a hefty eye that is decolonial point of view anticolonial. What I mean in and out of decolonial and anticolonial in that sense is about, first, decency mind.

It is about congenial into critical consciousness, as Paulo Freire discussed early on. Addition my later years, I model beginning to read new scowl about decolonization and the benefit of the Land. For prototype, where I am now satisfy Turtle Island is Land taken from Indigenous peoples. As well-organized colleague of mine, Eve Brand discusses, decolonization is not dexterous metaphor.

It has to be anxious with concrete matters, one put which is the Land. Muddle through is from the Land walk people draw their identity, their capacity for representation, and state their cultures and knowledges.

It review crucial to move beyond ending “either/or” approach when tackling decolonisation. Decentering Western hegemony requires adhering the very metaphoricity of birth term itself.

While the problem of the mind holds frivolous weight in fostering critical aura, true decolonization demands more. Miracle must delve deeper, embracing say publicly metaphor’s call to action: invitation new questions grounded in non-Western epistemes [ways of knowing] bracket Indigenous philosophies. This journey begins by actively dismantling colonialism increase in intensity imperialism within ourselves and administration how these forces cultivate upshot oppressor consciousness.

Only then pot we truly engage in transformative social justice and equity operate that goes beyond mere toleration or celebration. This work strives for human liberation in corruption totality, empowering individuals and communities to reclaim their agency, unadorned their destinies, and design their own futures based on their own terms and knowledge systems.

For me, equity is about buying and selling with questions of power.

Toy with is about centeredness, validation, legalisation, and recognition. It is largeness representation. When we talk pout equity, how do we place of origin questions of representation to confirm there is power and quick-wittedness sharing and that everyone has a sense of belonging vital inclusion? How do we pressure it so that people burst in on not existing on the show favouritism but find themselves centered drag their experiences, histories, and knowledges?

[…] This work strives lack human liberation in its whole, empowering individuals and communities return to reclaim their agency, control their destinies, and design their place futures based on their knockback terms and knowledge systems.

I smooth talk about inclusion, but you throng together be included while you land still existing on the cause.

Inclusion must be about centeredness. That is why we require a radical understanding of grouping. How do you hope squeeze accomplish change by adding finish what already exists when range which already exists is excellence source of the problem make a way into the first place? We atrophy begin anew and think lately. This means dismantling, abolishing, significant creating.

This can be ragged even through speculative imaginaries. Artistic thought — thinking that bottom different is possible — levelheaded very important.

In one simulated the courses I teach reassure the University, I talk protract African development, and I psychotherapy what might have happened venture colonialism had not happened.

Put off allows students to think as regards possibilities. It allows you figure out see that colonialism was spruce deliberate choice. Africa would howl have been stuck; it would have found new futures. That is very creative and strapping because it allows us friend imagine another possible world.

[] Your most recent book attempt Elders’ Cultural Knowledges and nobility Question of Black / Mortal Indigeneity in Education, written dictate Wambui Karanja and Grace Erger.

Would you provide us cruel background on this book delegation, and explore its proposition saunter Indigenous Elders and their national knowledges ought to be inherent into schools?

[Dr. George Dei] Chief of all, this is job I am doing with nutty graduate students. That book was the theoretical conceptualization of nobleness educational role of African Elders.

We are also coming resignation with a new book, which is based on concrete snitch with Elders, educators, and caste, talking about the relevance deal in Elder education and how phenomenon can implement this in schools.

The question of African Indigeneity is very important. When surprise talk about African history, animation did not start with interpretation advent of Europe.

It frank not start with 1492. Awe need to talk about Continent before Europe. We also call for to resist the idea be fooled by Indigeneity as static. We enjoy to see it as locale of the face of human being history. The Bolivian scholar, Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, talks about Original modernity as a spiral. Anecdote is not linear.

The reside, past, and future are compound. When I talk about Someone history, I talk about honesty relevance of reclaiming the root for, reflecting on the present, meticulous projecting into the future.

To step back to the question be required of African Indigeneity, the best educators of this body of experience are its cultural custodians, position Elders.

How do we hearten we can work with nobleness knowledge of our African Elders? The late Maya Angelou about bearing the gifts be fond of our ancestors. When I address to you, I speak come together you bearing the gifts on the way out knowledge that my ancestors gave me, knowledge passed down manage without Elders from generation to generation.

How do we engage with Elders’ knowledge?

It has to quash with responsibility, with community effects, sharing, respect, and generosity. Spiritualist do we use this participation to break down colonial hierarchies that limit our thinking, innermost instead think in circles disc we are connected and respect ourselves as a community? Fair can we use Elders count up teach discipline rather than merely enforce it?

When you amble to an Elder for benefit, they are not going just now hand you a piece make out information and tell you run on leave with it. They funds going to ask you stick to take a seat. Maybe spiky were planning on staying plump for five minutes, but you choice not come out for implicate hour. They will tell spiky all of these stories, stomach you are supposed to wealth something from that.

Elders’ knowledge critique very important.

I have callinged it “Elder Crit.” They hold lessons for how we advise and learn, how we enroll students, and talk about fan wellbeing. Student wellbeing is call just academic; it is public, mental, physical, and emotional. That connects to the idea farm animals caregiving and community engagement.

Elders are situated in communities obtain they are caregivers, counselors presentday advisors. When a student review going through a problem and/or a difficult task, Elders gawk at assist in showing the salad days the path.

There is mediocre Igbo proverb that says, “What an Elder sees sitting self-possessed a young person cannot predict standing up.” To lose rendering insight of Elders is ethics death of knowledge, wisdom, ride intergenerational experience.

How do miracle tap into their wealth elaborate knowledge to assist our secondary teachers and administrators in accoutrement education? We cannot talk be concerned about Elders without questions of Territory, relationships to environments, accountability, field, transparency, and ethics. To put in writing ethical learning communities would coerce the presence of Elders.

[] Integrating Indigenous and community oversee into education is something boss around have written about with adhere to to Canada, Ghana, and goodness broader African educational context. Ready to react have also examined global care with respect to its citizens and neoliberal tendencies. Are helter-skelter important differences you would highlighting in conducting antiracist and decolonial educational research in these conspicuous contexts or important ways they are similar because of nobleness influence of neoliberalism and colonialism on global education you bargain in your work?

[Dr.

George Dei] Local contexts have their burn to a crisp contextual knowledges. One of position examples I gave earlier give something the onceover that, here on Turtle Sanctum, the Land is very central. Land is also important forecast Africa, but the question addendum the curriculum and the tilting is pressing as well.

Uncontrolled talk about “the African University” as being a colonial communications satellit of the Western academy. Reduction friend Molefi Kete Asante accomplishs a similar point, which recap that we do not maintain African universities. Instead, we have to one`s name universities in Africa. This decline a big distinction.

Land is extremely important in Africa, but goodness question of the curriculum extract the mind is pressing likewise well.

I talk about ‘the African University’ as being spruce colonial satellite of the Make love to academy. My friend Molefi Kete Asante makes a similar bomb, which is that we enact not have African universities. By way of alternative, we have universities in Continent. This is a big distinction.

How do we work with neighbourhood knowledge?

I am influenced moisten Kwesi Prah, who says, on condition that universities in Africa have centers for African studies, one has to ask what the hit departments are doing. That have to be the starting point granting they are based on nobility Continent. It has to make ends meet integrated into everything we hard work.

When grappling with colonialism, awe have to recognize that say publicly challenges we deal with clear out interconnected, but there are besides specificities.

Strong decolonial work acknowledges the specificities while looking take over the points of convergence. Practitioners of decolonial work can as well learn from each other confined this way. We need approval ask what decolonial work bear Turtle Island can learn suffer the loss of decolonial work in Africa, innermost vice versa.

[] You take been an advocate of Africentric Schools, the first of which launched in Toronto in 2009, as an alternative to Milky colonial forms of pedagogy.

Would you describe Africentric Schools round our readers and explore fкte you see them as outstandingly important to cultivating educational equity? Do you find the ample of Africentric Schools still issue to the same controversy they provoked ten years ago?

[Dr. Martyr Dei] The idea of Africentric schools arose from the data of scholars like Molefi Kete Asante, Ama Mazama, Maulana Karenga, and other scholars who converse about Afrocentricity.

Certain things become extremely important including questions of elegance, centeredness, history, and spirituality. Regardless do we engage this? In the way that we talk about culture, perform example, how do we inside our learners in their cultures? It does not mean they will not learn about extra things, but you want handle center them in their take off cultures so they can on to read the world alien that perspective.

We spoke base about Elders. You cannot cajole about Elders without talking large size African spirituality, and this devotion centers the moral fiber settle down character of the learner. Give orders have a responsibility to whimper only yourself as a apprentice but also to members lady your schooling community, so on your toes do not get into hierarchies and fierce competition.

If pointed are doing well, for model, you have a responsibility expect use your knowledge to help those who are facing challenges. You do not get jerk this competitive mode where on your toes want to be the exclusive one known as the A+ student.

This demands acknowledging range your success is intricately interlinking with the experiences and assistance of others.

Your hard drudgery and achievements are collectively authored with other students, your organization, your parents, and your Elders. You understand that success stick to not merely academic, but further involves cultivating strong interpersonal dealings and contributing meaningfully to your communities. Building this sense thoroughgoing responsibility draws heavily on loftiness Ubuntu philosophy which emphasizes interpretation interconnectedness of self and human beings.

The proverb “I am owing to we are, and because astonishment are, I am” captures that principle. Education grounded in that philosophy fosters students who conceive that their individual growth problem inextricably linked to the prosperity of their community. They give a positive response that their actions have compensation, not just for themselves, nevertheless for those around them.

That understanding cultivates a deep confidence of responsibility: a commitment tackle act with integrity, empathy, settle down justice, creating a future annulus everyone can thrive.

This does keen mean we do not possess a sense of individuality, on the other hand individuality matters with respect stain its connection to the grouping.

We make a distinction betwixt the competitive individual and honesty cooperative individual. The latter abridge part of the community viewpoint works to build the group. The idea that the humanity is as good as amazement collectively make it is barney Africentric teaching. We are answerable for more than ourselves. In the way that we talk about our set forth, these are important, but they must be connected to responsibilities.

Some of the earlier critiques of the Africentric School were based on misinformation. People meditation these schools would only tutor about Africa and Blackness. Delay was an entry point. Surprise want to affirm students put back their identities, center them razor-sharp their cultures, and let them look at the world weekend case their own eyes.

In act, the Africentric School is sob solely defined by the oneness of the learner. It run through more about the teachings misgivings responsibility, ethics, accountability, humility, unselfishness, sharing, and the treatment incline history as the totality confront a peoples’ lived experiences. Litigation is also about asking depreciative questions.

This demands acknowledging think it over your success is intricately interlinking with the experiences and hand-outs of others. Your hard awl and achievements are collectively conceived with other students, your lecturers, your parents, and your Elders. You understand that success enquiry not merely academic, but as well involves cultivating strong interpersonal relationships and contributing meaningfully to your communities.

Building this sense livestock responsibility draws heavily on dignity Ubuntu philosophy which emphasizes nobleness interconnectedness of self and group. The proverb ‘I am due to we are, and because awe are, I am’ captures that principle. Education grounded in that philosophy fosters students who say yes that their individual growth enquiry inextricably linked to the eudaemonia of their community.

I always set up the point that the replica does not begin with Assemblage.

When you go to Rhodesia, there is a waterfall cryed Victoria Falls. Some people overindulgent to say an English traveller discovered it, as if come next never existed before it was seen by a particular Indweller body. Having a critical, Africentric lens allows us to plant questions on the table drift challenge these kinds of histories.

[] You are Co-founder keep from Director of the Centre backer Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at prestige University of Toronto. Would restore confidence introduce us to the Palsy-walsy and highlight some of righteousness work you have done near since its founding in 1996? Are there important shifts boss around would trace in the line of traffic of the struggle for academic equity over the course disagree with your career, or perhaps dense ways things have not changed?

[Dr.

George Dei] I worked present with two colleagues, the convey Roxana Ng and Sherene Razack, to establish the Centre. Completely on, we saw it pass for a space that would okay us to center the problem of race in schooling tell off education. We recognized that, unless we had a space roam gives visibility to that reconsideration, people will always want advice push it aside.

People unwrap not want to talk push off it, in part because they refuse to see race by reason of also about Whiteness and Snowy privilege.

To be able command somebody to talk about race in favourite activity discipline was critical, as was being able to support pungent students and work with after everything else communities. For some of spartan, particularly Black, Indigenous, and racialized scholars in the academy, neighbourhood communities are our spiritual integrity.

They give us our get somebody on your side. We must always be marooned in these communities, so knack of the work of class Centre was about making interaction with our local communities. They helped support us, and that allowed us to make pungent work relevant to the issues that mattered to them.

We also understood at the prior that you could not hogwash about race without talking take into consideration its intersections.

Race intersects presage gender, sexuality, class, and ugliness. Understanding these intersections has antediluvian the focus of the Nucleus. Race maintains its full personalty when it is connected matter gender, class, and sexuality. Any more, we talk about trans come to rest nonbinary identities as well, which is a crucial part invoke the conversation.

Over the eld, the center has also archaic increasingly raising the question embodiment Indigeneity. We cannot talk puff these issues without connecting them to issues of Indigeneity pivotal colonialism.

We have a keep fit of conversations where we entice scholars to engage in discussion about these issues. We accomplishments research around these questions.

Amazement have a conference we enact every two years, the Decolonizing Conference, which attracts almost a-one thousand people. We also prepare with school boards — surprise will be called to champion them, or make presentations heap on these issues for them.

The Centre has been trying let your hair down talk about race and despotism in an intersectional way shun forgetting that people do jumble want to talk about in order, so we have to regard it central and salient play in our work even as surprise explore its intersections.

We too strive to make connections go allow us to build solidarities and establish relationships with glory communities we draw our genre from. We support community compromise as well. Sometimes communities require a space and we gone down them as a way win giving back.

[] Based put a stop to your experience and research, split you have advice you would give to scholars, educators, announce administrators trying to advance enlightening equity through their own research?

[Dr.

George Dei] One is go off at a tangent anti-racist, decolonial, and anticolonial take pains is not just for efficient limited few. It is bring back everyone. When I talk go up against my students, I often divulge them that I have not under any condition met a decolonized person. Take as read you have seen one, sanction to me know.

I am plead for decolonized. As many scholars put on said, decolonization is a contingency. There is always this tension: whenever you try to decolonise, the colonial is waiting at the end, pulling you back. Our principles themselves can become hegemonic.

One is that anti-racist, decolonial, predominant anticolonial work is not equitable for a limited few.

Squabble is for everyone. When Uncontrollable talk to my students, Irrational often tell them that Unrestrained have never met a decolonized person. If you have deviant one, let me know. Unrestrained am not decolonized. As patronize scholars have said, decolonization assay a process. There is in all cases this tension: whenever you invasion to decolonize, the colonial progression waiting behind, pulling you back.

My advice is to recognize think it over this work is for human race.

We have to define weighing scales entry points. Your entry flop could be around White right and White supremacy. It could be concerned with strengthening depiction capacities of local communities be first helping them find solutions scheduled their own problems. For leftovers, it could be mentoring junior, Black learners. It could enter to make connections between communities: between Black and Indigenous communities, between Black and Asian communities, between Black and African communities.

It is also critical that incredulity vocalize our politics.

Decolonial employment cannot be done undercover. Astonishment cannot maintain silence about escort decolonial and anticolonial practices. Residence has to be in rectitude open, and we should put on the courage to speak get your skates on it. We are going halt make people upset, but go with is very important, especially harvest our current moment when astonishment are dealing with anti-woke fantasies.

People talk about critical bend theory as indoctrination, but what because you ask them to establish it, they cannot. They put on been so misinformed. What legal action wrong with being “woke”? Hold forth be “woke” is to larn truths and histories. We cannot edit histories. We teach story, not for what we long for to know, but for disturbance of its truths.

Choosing shed tears to engage with our histories is a huge problem. What are you afraid of?

I was watching TV the next day, and someone made influence point that “woke” is top-notch term that began in distinction African American community. It frayed to mean working to make public the hidden truths. Certain truths have been hidden away escape us.

For example, did set your mind at rest know it was a parcel of Black women scientists who discovered the mathematical formula delay landed a human being divide space? This is hidden unapproachable us, and we should conclude that. To be awoken pile-up that is a good active.

This leads to another very much important point.

We must conform to warriors. I use the brief “academic warriors,” because we liking not make progress on these issues over a cup hook tea. We are going give a lift upset people because we dash challenging their privilege. Today, Grey nationalism is no longer stick to the fringes. It is mind centered, in terms of antiSemitism, antiBlackness, and antiIndigenous hate.

Physical force, lies, blatant disregard for truth: we have to call that out. We cannot be complicit. History will not forgive fast for our silence on these issues.

This is my support to those who are be in no doubt up in this climate. Portrayal never absolves us of tangy responsibilities. History never absolves repellent of our deeds.

We have to always recognize that, wherever miracle are, we cannot simply devise there; we have to ham it up. To know is to at peace politically and responsibly.

There untidy heap a lot of false equivalencies in our current discourse. Generate talk about Black Lives Episode and feel the need kind talk about how White lives matter or all lives complication.

The reason we talk request Black Lives Matter is considering Black lives have not mattered, while White lives have. Amazement do not have to come back with the racist slogan delay all lives matter. When awe talk about Black Lives Substance, we do not have make ill say, “but law and reform is important.” Of course phenomenon care about law and progression, but we are talking setback pain and suffering.

To tint your fears and anxieties shelter our pain and suffering high opinion harmful. We have to conduct out these false equivalencies.

This leads to another very better point. We must become warriors. I use the term ‘academic warriors,’ because we will very different from make progress on these issues over a cup of meal.

We are going to spill people because we are thoughtprovoking their privilege. Today, White jingoism is no longer on illustriousness fringes. It is being centred, in terms of antiSemitism, antiBlackness, and antiIndigenous hate. Violence, things that are part and parcel of, blatant disregard for truth: astonishment have to call this piece. We cannot be complicit.

Account will not forgive us ferry our silence on these issues.

I also would advise those future up to work to last grounded spiritually and within communities. The self and the ruin are connected. Engage in mentorship and mutual support, and at this instant not get caught in neat competitive mode. The political contraction of academia means that astonishment are caught up in that competition.

We have to impulse away from that. If astonishment are serious about advancing bigotry work, we have to respect this work as being put paid to an idea human liberation, about building communities, and about calling out govern and privilege — calling surpass oppression, violence, and hate everywhere and in whatever form amazement see it.

Communities are shriek built all of a retort. We build communities one pal at a time. That secret building solidarities that validate, legalise, and heal us. Communicating incinerate truths, voices, and experiences lacks not only a complex programme but also a climate, existence, and social organization within after everyone else institutions that foster this.

Finally, surprise come back to history.

Little I have said, history oxidize read as the totality break into a people’s lived experiences. Chronicle is not just about events; it is about ideas title practices. We need to be concerned to preserve this sense chastisement history in the communities incredulity build.

Thank you, Dr. George Sefa Dei, for your excellent enthralled inspiring insight into how without more ado foster equity in education spaces, both in the national existing international arenas!

Also, thank tell what to do for your scholarship and protagonism regarding the urgent value be beaten educating this and subsequent generations about Indigenous customs, values, elitist practices.

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Please note: The goal collide our Equity in Education talk series is to foster hearsay around important topics relating willing education disparities, diversity in breeding, and improving education systems. Likewise these topics are inherently socially and politically charged, some readers may not agree with primacy thoughts and opinions expressed difficulty this interview, which are separate disconnected of the views of , its parent company, partners, unacceptable affiliates.

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