Centring anti-Black racism: Developing racial knowledge as stance

Abstract

This paper expands on prior discussion on the use of inquiry as stance to explore in more depth the pedagogical practices that emerge from anti-racist research in education. The paper draws on existing literature as a basis for discussing the connection between the use of inquiry in the development of anti-racist awareness and the ability to operationalise the practice around such specialised learning. The aim of this examination is to determine how inquiry as stance can benefit the development of racial knowledge. The paper asserts that having an understanding of stance provides a feasible starting point for conceptualising anti-Black racism as a specific embodiment of generalised racism. It further asserts that examining the processes associated with the development of an individual racial stance can help educators advance toward operationalising anti-racist education. The paper builds on previous research into the relationship between a racial knowledge as stance framework, and the potential use of inquiry to fill a significant gap in understanding how educators interact with their own knowledge of race, and then learn to facilitate this learning for others. Recommendations for avenues for future research on antiracism and anti-racist education are also discussed.