Miseducation

The term miseducate was coined by African American historian and educator Carter G. Woodson with his 1933 classic work, The Mis-Education of the Negro. His premise was built around the notion that one's education should have redemptive value, for both the individual and the group with which the individual identifies. Miseducation is particularly problematic for oppressed groups, who are led to believe that an education will help them overcome their oppressed status. The fact of the matter, he thought, is that the (mis)education they receive from the oppressor tends to reinforce their oppression, alienates them from their communities, and has more redemptive value when used in service to the oppressor. The effect of receiving a (mis)education is continued oppression and suppression of individual and group ...