What the Master’s Tools Cannot Do: Exploring a decolonial feminist pedagogy of women’s history education in Malawi

Abstract

How far can the principles of feminist pedagogy facilitate a decolonial consciousness among learners in Malawi? This study addresses this question by incorporating decolonial feminist pedagogy into women's history education. By centring feminist pedagogy in practice, this study aims to demonstrate how encountering Malawian women's displaced and misrepresented histories in a feminist classroom can deepen young people’s understanding of gender equality and foster a commitment to social justice. Furthermore, by foregrounding feminist pedagogy in practice, this research offers a distinct methodological and epistemic approach to feminist teaching in Malawi. It is informed by an educational project designed to address both the what and how of decolonial feminist education through women’s history curricula and liberatory pedagogical principles of dialogue, conscientisation and social action. The study not only contributes to the body of literature on decolonial education in Malawi but also underscores the crucial connection between decoloniality and gender, striving to advance efforts towards more inclusive and equitable educational practices.