Black affirming pedagogy: Reflections on the premises, challenges and possibilities of mainstreaming antiracist black pedagogy in Canadian sociology

Abstract

Antiblackness, anti-Black racism and other oppressions work within systems such as capitalism, white supremacy and globalization. As a system, Canadian higher education institutions are complicit with the oppression of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples. Anti-oppressive and antiracist pedagogies attempt to challenge institutional power and oppression but face resistance within the academy and wider society. This paper articulates Black Affirming Pedagogy as an additional anticolonial, antiracist, pro-Black teaching praxis aimed at furthering educators’ resiliencies and capacities for cultivating transformations and social change. Pro-Black affirmations of Blackness, allyship/solidarity, humanity, diverse knowledge, and action are discussed alongside strategies for praxis. Risks of engaging in Black Affirming Pedagogy and suggestions for overcoming them are also highlighted.