"The Struggle to Decolonize Official Knowledge in Texas’ State Curriculum: Side-Stepping the Colonial Matrix of Power" by Angela Valenzuela

Friends and Colleagues:

Happy to share a publication of mine that is hot off the press in the journal of Equity and Excellence in Education (EEE).  Aside from documenting the movement for Ethnic Studies in Arizona and Texas, I had to do a lot of reading and research for this.  It took me at least two years to write.  I want to thank both Dr. Nolan Cabrera and Dr. Korina Jocson for making this possible.  Nolan, in particular, challenged me throughout.  That's what good friends and colleagues are for.  In much appreciation, Nolan.

It tells the story of the struggle for both Ethnic and Mexican American Studies here in Texas, with Arizona's struggle as a meaningful, and indeed inspirational, backdrop to what he have accomplished here in Texas in our historic, legacy struggle for inclusion in the state's K-12 curriculum as scholars, elders, leaders, and community members.  And how we not only struggle and labor, but also succeed—and at such a massively important time in our history when we are under a seemingly unrelenting attack.

Thanks for those cited and not cited among whom are members of the K-12 Committee of the NACCS Tejas Foco who helped me to generate and theorize this account.  I feel so fortunate and honored to have them as my community.  They are the most loving, caring, and intellectually stimulating set of colleagues and scholar-activists that anyone could ever have or hope for.  

I try in this piece to blur a few theoretical boundaries based primarily on what we experienced here in Texas.  I hope that you read this and get inspired to join the movement and make a better world.  Yes, despite all the terribleness and madness, a better world.

We must decolonize ourselves.  To get there, we must task ourselves with learning about, and responding to, the colonial matrices of power in our lives where power relations are deeply implicated and where struggles for social justice, must occur.

The whole issue is worth reading, by the way.  You can access it at the EEE website.


-Angela Valenzuela

#decolonize

The Struggle to Decolonize Official Knowledge in Texas’ State Curriculum: Side-Stepping the Colonial Matrix of Power

by Angela Valenzuela

Published online: 27 Aug 2019