Afrocentric Pedagogy as Transformative Praxis in Social Work Education

Abstract

Problem: Social work education is still stuck in epistemologies of Eurocentrism that continues to perpetrate epistemic violence on the African systems of knowledge, where the Black students are sidelined and the practitioners are unprepared to serve the Black communities. However, the translation of Afrocentric theory into pedagogical practice is under researched, even though in recent years, there is increasingly more awareness about this crisis. Method: The qualitative thematic synthesis of the interdisciplinary literature was the method of this study that involved Afrocentric theory, critical pedagogy, decolonial theory, and social work education. Based on the six-step model provided by Braun and Clarke, the analysis systematically found the patterns in both canonical and contemporary literature to create an overall conceptual framework. Findings: The analysis showed that there were nine interconnected themes that were grouped into four areas, including epistemological (epistemic justice and centering African knowledge systems; validation of multiple ways of knowing; historical reclamation and counter-narrative) and curricular (representation of Black contributors; integration of African philosophical frameworks; diversified assessment modalities) domains and relational (collective learning communities and Ubuntu relationality; recognition of racialized identities and belonging) and institutional (institutional resistance and the labor of transformation) ones. Contribution: In this paper, Afrocentric pedagogy is developed as transformative praxis, the dialectical unity of reflection and action to humanization and liberation, instead of simply adding content to it. It offers educators, administrators, and advocates with a consistent argument to support epistemological, curricular, relational, and institutional aspects of change in social work education at the same time.