ABSTRACT

Campus counterspaces exist as spaces where Brown and Black students can promote their own learning, and where their experiences are considered valid and critical knowledge. However, research on classrooms as counterspaces has often been limited to ethnic studies courses. Using data collected from a graduate-level research methods course situated in the U.S, this study explores what constitutes a classroom counterspace, and how instructors can create classroom counterspaces. Data were mainly collected through student conversations, reflections, classroom observations, and field notes. Drawing from Anzaldúa’s borderlands theory, the study revealed that classroom counterspaces recognize the complexity of Brown and Black identity, push back against whiteness, and support Brown and Black students’ vulnerable and honest perspectives on the academy. These findings highlight areas where instructors can rethink their pedagogical approaches to create classroom counterspaces, and suggest that classroom counterspaces also push against the hegemony found in current U.S. higher education.

摘要

校园对等空间是布朗和黑人学生可以促进自己的学习以及他们的经验被视为有效和重要知识的空间。但是，将教室作为对立空间的研究通常仅限于种族研究课程。本研究使用在美国开设的研究生级研究方法课程中收集的数据，探讨了构成教室的空白空间以及教员如何创建教室的空白空间。数据主要是通过学生对话，反思，课堂观察和现场笔记收集的。该研究从安扎尔杜阿的边疆理论中得出的结论表明，教室的对白空间认识到布朗和黑人身份的复杂性，反对白化，并支持布朗和黑人学生对学院的脆弱和诚实的看法。