Cash Ahenakew
University of British Columbia, Educational Studies, Faculty Member
his article explores some of the tensions at the interface of nationalist and global orientations in ideals of global mindedness and global citizenship looking specifically at the Finnish context. We engage with discussions related to the... more
his article explores some of the tensions at the interface of nationalist and global orientations in ideals of global mindedness and global citizenship looking specifically at the Finnish context. We engage with discussions related to the social–political and historical context of national identity in Finland and outline the conceptual framework of an educational initiative related to the development of global mindedness through experiences of international mobility and partnerships. This conceptual outline presents a set of theoretical distinctions through which we seek to challenge humanist and universalist approaches to the question of (the formation of) global mindedness by arguing that the issue is neither about cognition or understanding nor about empathy and relationships but ultimately has to do with modes of existence and exposure. Similar to discussions in other small states, the historical trajectory in Finland illustrates how the encounter between the nation and the glob...
Research Interests:
This chapter presents a selection of theoretical and pedagogical frameworks for global citizenship education (GCE) otherwise of the “Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures” (GTDF) collective. The authors discuss the challenges of addressing... more
This chapter presents a selection of theoretical and pedagogical frameworks for global citizenship education (GCE) otherwise of the “Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures” (GTDF) collective. The authors discuss the challenges of addressing the depth and complexity of existing global challenges, in particular as they relate to the questions of (un)sustainability and inherent systemic violence and injustices of modern societies. They begin by introducing the basic premises that guide the work of the GTDF collective and then proceed to map different (soft, critical, and beyond reform) approaches to GCE. The chapter also introduces the pedagogical metaphors/cartographies of the “House of Modernity,” the “Bus,” and the “In Earth's CARE” pedagogical framework and provides links and references to other pedagogical experiments, developed by the collective.
This article presents a social cartography of responses to the violences of modernity and uses this cartography to analyse different meanings and practices of decolonization in the context of higher education. As a pedagogical rather than... more
This article presents a social cartography of responses to the violences of modernity and uses this cartography to analyse different meanings and practices of decolonization in the context of higher education. As a pedagogical rather than normative exercise, we have tried to map tensions, paradoxes and contradictions we have observed in different responses to the violences of modernity. We start with a brief synthesis of selected literature that outlines the challenges of engaging pedagogically with critiques of modernity. We then present our tentative cartography of responses to modernity’s violence. Next, we apply the cartography to the literature on higher education focusing on interpretations and practices of decolonization. We conclude with some reflections on the challenges of developing a different relationship to modernity’s grammar in the task of being taught by a violent system in crisis.