Dysconscious Racism and Teacher Education

Dysconsciousness refers to an uncritical habit of mind (including perceptions, attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs) that justifies inequity and exploitation by accepting the existing order of things as a given. This cognitively limited mode of thinking shapes one's identity and distorts one's consciousness—that is, one's awareness and sense of agency. Dysconscious racism is an uncritical habit of mind that lacks any ethical judgment regarding or critique of systemic racial inequity. By unquestioningly accepting the status quo, this mind-set, which is identified as an outcome of miseducation, prevents teachers, for example, from questioning the existing racial order and leaves no room for them to imagine practical possibilities for social change or their role as change agents. This entry addresses the educational, ideological, and intellectual contexts in ...

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