Graduation Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Project
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Public Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Caglar Dolek
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Jennifer Eichstedt
Keywords
Decolonization, Epistemology, Colonialism, Coloniality of power, Eurocentrism, Domination, Oppression, Hierarchy, Intersectionality, Marginalization, Critical pedagogy, Liberation, Conscientization, Collaborative learning, Engaged pedagogy, Restorative justice, Western knowledge, Diversity
Subject Categories
Sociology
Abstract
The coloniality of power serves as a central axis within the matrix of domination that characterizes global capitalist modernity, as Anibal Quijano famously argued. This power is rooted in particular ways of looking, seeing, and understanding social reality, anchored in Eurocentrism as an epistemological paradigm for the hegemonic discourse produced by the West against both internal and external categories of “other.” Such categories still inform the production of knowledge in educational settings. In this project, I engage in a critique of the coloniality of power to explore its implications and potential for critical pedagogical practice within the context of sociology training and teaching in a college setting. I argue that decolonizing the classroom begins with a radical critique of its epistemological foundation, rooted in Western hegemony over knowledge production methodologies. An alternative approach involves the collective creation of knowledge with and for students, emphasizing their agency in the process. Furthermore, this project presents an upper-level college course called Decolonizing Restorative Justice, in which I aim to engage students with the topic through a diverse array of readings and assignments tailored to their empowerment. Overall, this project serves as the backbone of a teaching philosophy informed by and engaged with decolonial methodologies of knowledge production.
Citation Style
ASA
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Lacy Felice, "Decolonizing restorative justice: A teaching development project" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2566.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2566