Decolonising Preservice Teachers? Colonialist Thoughts in Higher Education Through Defamiliarisation as a Pedagogy

Abstract

Article ; The social, political, and economic inequalities embedded and reflected in all social life in South Africa continue to shape the higher education landscape of the country. Calls for the? higher? education? curricula? in? South? Africa? to? be? transformed? under? the? guide? of? decolonisation requires primarily a reform of the colonising spaces in which teaching in higher? education? takes? place.? Using? a? case? study? at? a? university? of? technology? that? explicates teaching and learning through the use of creative illustrations as a form and means? of? defamiliarisation,? the? authors? show? how? spaces? can? be? created? to? facilitate? deliberative engagement and contestation regarding instances of colonisation in higher education and society. The authors conclude that defamiliarisation should be considered a possible pedagogical technique in higher education as a way of deepening students? social, economic, political, and cultural awareness in relation to identity, language, and hierarchies of power amongst students and higher education educators.