Black feminist epistemology: An opportunity for educational psychology praxis

Abstract

Aim(s):Educational psychology, whilst a helping profession, was heavily influenced by oppressive and racist ideas during its infancy. Over the last several decades, EPs have been invited to hold a mirror up to the profession with regard to racial justice. The aim of this paper is to offer a critical exploration of epistemic issues within educational psychology, to provide an alternative and potentially impactful way of understanding the current moment of racial ‘reckoning’ that we find ourselves in.Rationale:Educational psychologists use a range of tools and approaches within research and practice. The emergence of intelligence testing marked the spearheading of oppressive social policy worldwide. Viewing these phenomena epistemologically invites us to explore where we have committed epistemic violence, particularly in the case of black children, how blind spots may emerge again and how to build frameworks that will avoid this. The current paper presents black feminist epistemology as a framework that is inclusive, requires an interrogation of power in knowledge systems and requires practitioners to question and challenge taken for granted knowledge.Implications:A key implication of adopting a black feminist epistemology is that educational psychologists explicitly locate the historical racial and political context of educational psychology praxis to better serve children and families.Conclusions:At the centre of this paper, is the fallacy of objectivity. The paper attempts to unpack the ‘neutrality myth’ and how this has impacted the tools and perspectives within educational psychology. EPs are invited to explore the basic tenets of a black feminist epistemology, which enables us to ask incisive questions about our identity, our relationship to knowledge and therefore our effectiveness as relevant practitioners in an increasingly complex social world.