Currere as deracialisation : an autobiographical reflection of a white teacher in multicultural post-apartheid South African classrooms

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.ENGLISH SUMMARY: This thesis, “Currere as Deracialisation: An autobiographical introspection by a ‘white’ South African teacher in post-apartheid South Africa”, is written from a psychoanalytical perspective. I use Pinar’s (1975) work on currere1 and biographic situation2 to explore the meaning and challenges of being a ‘white’ educator, born, raised and schooled during the apartheid era,3 having to reconceptualise my pedagogy in order to meet the needs of post-apartheid culturally inclusive education. I explore the concepts of currere within the framework of Pinar’s reconceptualist theory4 on curriculum with the hope that this will breathe new life into my educational experience. Currere; a Latin word meaning “to run” and the root word for the word curriculum, is used by Pinar and Grumet (1976) to outline their method of educational autobiographical inquiry. Pinar uses the word ‘curriculum’ as an active verb for understanding the running of the course. Although the main theoretical framework is that of currere, other theories that form part of the framework for this thesis are social construction theory, cognitive dissonance theory and critical race theory. The points of departure for my research questions are summed up in this quotation from Pinar (1975:3): “What is the experience of being …a stranger in a land not one’s own?” As a consequence of my privileged and exclusive upbringing, I am not well versed in what it takes to teach in post-1994 South African classrooms. I am now a stranger and entirely inexperienced in my once familiar classroom. The four walls are the same; the demographics of the student population are not. The purpose of this thesis is two-fold: firstly, to critically examine myself as a post-apartheid educator so that I may begin to understand how my auto/biographical experiences under the political regime of apartheid in South Africa (including my whiteness and privilege) are influencing my current pedagogy, and secondly, to inspire other ‘white’ South African educators to reflect on their own understanding that ‘racial’ muteness and an adoption of ‘colour-blindness’ are not the solutions for resolving the problems in providing meaningful education in post-apartheid classrooms. The dismantling of apartheid and the consequent shift in learner demographics stemming from the new laws on education left me facing multiple and complex issues that challenged many of my own educational practices and personal assumptions. A review of the literature explored the works of education philosophers such as Maxine Greene and curriculum scholars including Ted T. Aoki and Madeleine Grumet, in addition to those of Pinar. All of them believed that in order to achieve greater social justice in education, teachers need to subject themselves to a process of critical autobiographical inquiry – in other words, currere. As a result of my journey, a new appreciation of my pedagogical self emerged in the unfamiliar terrain of my post-1994 classroom. The tensions in the dichotomies of language and culture that came to surface became creative spaces within which I could contemplate the complexities of my ‘culturally diverse’ classroom and ultimately discover new meanings.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis, " Currere as Deracialisation: An autobiographical introspection of a ‘white’ South African teacher in post-apartheid South African classrooms", is autobiografies en psigoanalities geskryf. Ek maak gebruik van Pinar (1975) se werk oor currere en “biographic situation” om die betekenis en stryd van synde 'n wit opvoedkundige te verken; gebore, getoe en skoolgegaan tydens die Apartheid politieke stelsel, en nou die behoeftes wil bevredig van ‘n post-apartheid kulturele inklusiewe onderwys deur my pedagogie te herkonseptuleer. Ek ondersoek die konsepte van currere binne Pinar se Herkonseptualistiese teorie oor kurrikulum met die hoop dat dit nuwe lewe in my opvoedkundige ervaring sal inasem. Currere; 'n Latynse woord wat beteken "om te hardloop" en die wortel woord vir die woord kurrikulum, word gebruik deur Pinar en Grumet (1976) om hul metode van opvoedkundige outobiografie uit een te sit. Pinar gebruik die woord ' kurrikulum ' as 'n aktiewe werkwoord om die loop van die kursus te verstaan. Ander teoriee wat deel vorm van die raamwerk vir hierdie tesis is sosiale konstruksie teorie, kognitiewe dissonansie teorie en kritiese ras teorie. Die vertrekkingspunt van my navorsingsvrae word opgesom in die volgende aanhaling: "What is the experience of being ... a stranger in a land not one’s own” Pinar, 1975)? As gevolg van my bevoorregte en eksklusiewe opvoeding, is ek nie vertroud met onderrig in post 1994 Suid-Afrikaanse klaskamers nie. Ek is 'n vreemdeling en heeltemal onervare in my eens bekende klaskamer. Die vier mure is dieselfde; die demografie van die studente is nie. Die doel van hierdie tesis is tweeledig. Eerstens om myself as 'n post-apartheid-opvoeder te ondersoek, sodat ek kan begin verstaan hoe my outo/biografiese ervaringe tydens die politieke regime van apartheid in SA (insluitend my witheid en voorreg) my huidige pedagogie beïnvloed. Tweedens, om ander wit Suid Afrikaanse opvoeders te inspireer om op hul eie verstandhoudings te besin; om te swyg en 'n houding van kleurblindheid te he, is nie ‘n oplossing vir sinvolle onderrig in post-apartheid-klaskamers is nie. Die afskaffing van apartheid en die verskuiwing in leerderdemografie wat daartoe gelei het as gevolg van die nuwe opvoedkundigewetgewing, het my laat staan om verskeie en komplekse kwessies te beleef wat menigte van my opvoedkundige praktyke en persoonlike aannames uitgedaag het. Benewens Pinar, toon 'n hersiening van die literatuur die werke van onderwys-filosowe soos Maxine Greene en kurrikulumvakkundiges, insluitend Ted T. Aoki en Madeleine Grumet, om 'n paar te noem. Almal van wie geglo het dat om groter sosiale geregtigheid in die onderwys te bereik, moet onderwysers 'n proses van kritiese outobiografiese ondersoek ondergaan; met ander woorde - currere. As gevolg van hierdie reis, het 'n nuwe waardering van my pedagogiese self na vore gekom in die onbekende terrein van my klaskamer. Die bestaande spanning in die digotomiee van taal en kultuur word kreatiewe ruimtes waarbinne ek die kompleksiteite van my ‘kultureel diverse’ klaskamer kan oorweeg en uiteindelik nuwe betekenis kan vind.Doctorat