ERIC Number: EJ1377236
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
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EISSN: EISSN-1099-839X
Available Date: N/A
Centering Love as the Foundation of a Racially Just and Decolonizing Student Affairs
Current Issues in Education, v23 n2 2022
In writings on humanizing pedagogy, the concept of love is often presented as the core principle grounding all action. However, love, as it is currently conceptualized, leaves much room for interpretation (hooks, 2000; Levinas, 1998; Matias & Allen, 2013). Therefore, it is critical as educators and Student Affairs professionals we challenge the idea of how we commonly think about love as an abstract notion ("fight hate with love") and, rather, reimagine what love means within a movement that challenges oppressive structures within Student Affairs. By not recognizing or taking actions to correct higher education's past acts of indifference (noting the gross injustices against Indigenous populations and the exploited labor and enslavement of Africans rooted within the history of college campuses), we are perpetuating the protection of a historical lie and continuing the legacy of settler colonialism and dehumanization within the profession. In this manuscript, we provide an overview of settler colonialism and its impact in Student Affairs, review how love is academically and culturally defined across fields, and present an alternative framework for building love as an actionable "skill set" that allows educators to move the field toward racial justice and humanization.
Descriptors: Intimacy, Social Justice, Racism, Decolonization, Student Personnel Services, Higher Education, Student Personnel Workers, Caring, LGBTQ People
Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education. Deans Office, P.O. Box 870211 Payne 108, Tempe, AZ 85287. Tel: 480-965-3306; Fax: 480-965-6231; e-mail: cie@asu.edu; Web site: https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
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Language: English
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