Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality in the Curriculum in Malawi

EasyChair Preprint 8858

Abstract

This essay aims to decolonize the concepts of gender and sexuality in the education spaces in Malawi. We focus on the curriculum and pedagogies used in the teaching of gender and sexuality topics in secondary schools and higher education. The curricula define the concepts of gender and sexuality from heteronormativity--an essentialist perspective which was advanced by colonial settlers. Given that education spaces are places for knowledge production, disrupting the ways in which the mainstream scholarship defines gender and sexuality is critical in a quest for enhancing inclusive education. Drawing from intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991), queer theory/pedagogy (Shlasko, 2005), decoloniality (Lugones, 2010), and our lived experiences, we specifically deconstruct the binary definitions of gender and sexuality and argues for a democratic curriculum and pedagogies in the teaching of gender and sexuality. Our paper is structured as follows. First, we describe the historical context associated with gender and sexuality issues dating from colonial rule to the dawn of democracy in Malawi. Second, we offer a detailed description of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the discourse of gender and sexuality. This is followed by a critical analysis of how gender and sexuality are conceptualized as well as pedagogical strategies used in the teaching and learning process. Our essay argues against cultural normalcy that tends to binarize gender and sexuality. Therefore, we call for reconceptualization of gender and sexuality within the curriculum and pedagogies. This can be done through integration of queer lens and pedagogical practices in the teaching of gender and sexuality so as to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in the education spaces in Malawi.

Keyphrases: Decoloniality, Malawi, curriculum, gender, heteronormativity, pedagogy, sexuality

@booklet{EasyChair:8858,
  author    = {Mastano Dzimbiri and Patrick Mwanjawala},
  title     = {Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality in the Curriculum in Malawi},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 8858},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2022}}