Initial Publication Date: December 9, 2024

Confronting Racism and Colonialism in Geoscience Education through a Historical Lens: Integrating Critical Pedagogy in Earth Sciences Curricula

by Emily J. Diaz-Vallejo, Ken Keefover-Ring, Elizabeth Henessy and Erika Marin-Spiotta

Most students pursuing science and engineering degrees graduate without learning about the problematic history of key scholars, theories, and research methodologies in their fields and of how universities perpetuate racial inequities in society. Thus, bringing these themes into science courses can provide an opportunity to educate about the sources and impacts of racism and other forms of discrimination and bias in STEM.

Using a college-level biogeography course as a case study, we draw from critical engaged pedagogy and antiracist scholarship to interrogate:

  1. Biases in the processes and forms of knowledge production, legitimization, and exclusion; 
  2. The source of inequities in scholar representation and professional advancement in the discipline; 
  3. How societal benefits and harms of research practices are felt disproportionately by different groups and in different places (locally, regionally, globally). 

In the course, students learned to critique the historical context of scientific theories and the scientists proposing them and question assumptions about data and its representativeness, given biases in where data collection occurs and by whom. History can provide a powerful lens for understanding disparities and inequities in the participation and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other people of Color and the distribution of resources in higher education (Fang and White 2022). Incorporating critical history into earth science courses can also enhance student learning of the process of science (Nyarko and Rudge 2022).

We applied the Humanities Education for Anti-Racism Literacy (HEAL) Framework for Integrating Equity by highlighting 1) the origin and consequences of inequities in representation; 2) biases in the processes and forms of knowledge production, legitimization, and exclusion; 3) and how societal benefits and harms of its application are felt disproportionately geographically and demographically.  We applied this framework to a course in stages:

  • First with discussions of barriers to demographic representation in the context of sexism, racism, and ableism and in geographic biases in journal publications and editorial boards, affecting whose voice and expertise is legitimized. 
  • Next, with how modern societal inequities affect data collection and interpretation, for example, how biases in the spatial and temporal distribution of fossil data affect interpretations of biodiversity patterns, affecting conservation policies. 
  • Then, with a broader historical analysis of the discipline embedded into the teaching of major scientific concepts in biogeography and aimed to make connections between historical legacies of colonialism, imperialism and scientific racism and their modern manifestations in the discipline and its practice (ex., how Eurocentric biases about forests as climax ecosystems affected intepretation of the role of fire as disturbance in landscapes around the world under different climatic regimes, and how under imperialism, malinterpretations of savannas as degraded ecosystems led to colonial administration of Indigenous land).

Summary of teaching practices to support the integration of the Humanities Education for Anti-Racism Literacy (HEAL) Framework in a Biogeography course. 

How students incorporated concepts into their work.

  • Students actively engaged with selected readings that exposed biases within biogeography. They critically analyzed how historical perspectives influenced scientific thinking.
  • Students connected the concepts of white supremacy, scientific racism, and colonialism to their own majors and career goals. 
  • Students examined research methods, such as helicopter and parachute research, and assessed their implications in the context of extractivism and scientific biases.
  • In their final papers, students synthesized their understanding of the course material with a critical analysis of human impacts, colonialist influences, and historical biases in the study of species' biogeographic histories. 
  • Online assignments requested students to express their thoughts and share insights on the course material, demonstrating their understanding and application of the critical concepts.

Tools used to help students engage with concepts.

  • We provided a selection of literature that offered historical and contemporary insights into how White supremacy, scientific racism, and colonialism have influenced scientific thinking and practices in biogeography.
  • Assignments were created to encourage critical thinking, analysis, and personal reflection, prompting students to question classical views of biogeography and to apply these concepts in their work.
  • In-class discussions (pair-share, small groups, large groups) cultivated a dynamic learning environment, encouraging students to share their thoughts and engage with different viewpoints.
  • Online assignments offered a space for more reflective and in-depth exploration of the concepts, which was particularly beneficial for students who were less comfortable participating in group discussions.
  • The final paper assignment required students to integrate their understanding of biogeography with a critical perspective on the discussed concepts, allowing them to demonstrate their comprehensive understanding of the material.

Read more: Diaz-Vallejo, E.J., K. Keefover-Ring, E. Hennessy and E. Marín-Spiotta. 2024. Critical Engaged Pedagogy to Confront Racism and Colonialism in (Geo)Science Education through a Historical Lens. Earth Science, Systems and Society 4: doi.org/10.3389/esss.2024.10114

References:

  • Fang, A.H., White, S., 2022. Historical information and beliefs about racial inequality. Politics, Groups, and Identities 12: 23-44.
  • Nyarko, S. C., & Rudge, D. W. 2022. Using the history of plate tectonics to teach the nature of science. International Journal of Science Education 44: 1958–1977.

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