Critical Consciousness, Social Justice and Resistance : The Experiences of Young Children Living on the Streets in India

__Critical Consciousness, Social Justice and Resistance____: The Experiences of Young Children Living on the Streets in India__ reports on an investigation of critical consciousness and social justice conducted with young children living on the streets in Mumbai, India. The book explores how children―through complex, layered and diverse forms of resistant behaviours―struggled against, challenged, and at times, transformed the experiences of structural inequality, injustice and oppression they often faced in their everyday lives. Drawing on insights from critical pedagogy, the study argues that educators can work in solidarity with children, families and communities to transform―rather than simply adapt―to situations of oppression that exist both within and outside of educational contexts. It is argued that practitioners and policy makers open genuine spaces for educational endeavours that value children’s dignity, understand resistant behaviour as a form of communication, and focus on transformative resistance as a praxis of citizenship. Cover 1 Contents 9 List of Figures 15 Acknowledgements 17 Permissions 19 Abbreviations 21 Introduction: We Are the Stories We Tell 23 1. Critical Education for Critical Times 27 Education and Ideology  28 Education and Critical Consciousness 29 Dangerous Education for Dangerous Times: A Case for Critical Consciousness and Social Justice Education in the Early Years 30 Who Are the Children Living on the Street? 32 Why Research with Young Children Living on the Street? 33 Mumbai, India: The Research Context 34 India 34 Mumbai 36 Central Research Questions 37 Transparency: The Researcher as a Human Instrument 38 My Story 39 The Importance of a Book on Critical Consciousness and Social Justice in the Early Years  44 Book Structure 44 2. Theory for Knowing and Changing the System 55 Critical Pedagogy: What Is It? Where Did It Come from?  55 Critical Pedagogy and the Purpose of Education 58 Knowing the System  58 Characteristics of Critical Pedagogy 59 Education Is Political 60 Ideology 61 Hegemony 62 Historicity of Knowledge 63 Regimes of Truth 64 Micropractices of Power 65 Developmentally Appropriate Practices 66 Political Economy 67 Culture, Race and Gender 69 Changing the System 71 Resistance and Counter-hegemonic Discourses 72 Resistance Theory 72 Critiques of Resistance Theory 75 Ideological Critique 76 Critical Consciousness 77 Praxis 77 Dialogue and Problem-Posing Education 77 Repositioning 78 Critiques of Critical Pedagogy 78 Justifying the Use of Critical Pedagogy to the Research Reported on in This Book 80 Critical Pedagogy and the Indian Context 82 Conclusion 86 3. Critical Consciousness and Social Justice in Early Childhood 95 Literature Review Search Methods and Inclusion Criteria 96 Understanding Critical Consciousness 97 Understanding Social Justice 98 Critical Social Justice 99 Interconnected Understandings: Social Justice and Critical Consciousness 100 Education for Critical Consciousness  101 Community-Based Approaches to Developing Critical Consciousness 101 Adult Education for Critical Consciousness 106 Research with Pre-service Teachers  106 Research with Teachers 111 Critical Consciousness for Education with Children 115 Early Childhood Contexts 116 Gaps in the Literature and the Current Study 119 Conclusion 121 4. Researching with Young Children Living on the Streets 131 The Mosaic Approach 133 Pieces of the Mosaic 134 Critiques of the Mosaic Approach 135 Using the Mosaic Approach in This Study 136 Ethical Considerations 137 Informed Consent 138 Power Relations and Imbalances 139 Sensitive Information, Confidentiality and Privacy 140 Research Context: The Centre and the Streets 141 Participant Selection and Recruitment 143 Participants  143 Data Collection 144 Observations and Field Notes 145 Dialogue and Informal Conversation 146 Drawing and Storytelling  147 Child-Led Photography and Tours 148 Data Analysis 151 Rigour and Credibility 152 Triangulation 152 Reflexivity 153 Voice and Collaboration 153 Prolonged Engagement in the Field  154 Limitations 155 Conclusion 157 5. The Indian Context 165 Why Is a Chapter on the Indian Context Necessary?  165 Framing the Historical Analysis 166 Colonisation 167 Ideology 171 Civil and Criminal Justice System 173 Slavery 173 Independence and the Partition 176 Modern Republic of India 179 Religion 181 Hinduism and the Caste System 182 Christianity in India 183 Muslims in India 184 Religious Riots and Terrorism 185 Political and Socio-economic Structures 187 Symbolic Violence and the Treatment of Women 189 Female Infanticide 190 Child Marriage 190 Educational Inequality and Exclusion on the Basis of Gender 192 Education Systems in India 193 Early Childhood Provisions  193 Primary School Systems 194 Mumbai 197 Children Living on the Streets in Mumbai 198 Prevalence  198 Causes 199 Education  200 Economic Activity 201 Challenges 202 Support Mechanisms 204 Re-meeting the Complex Interplay of History, Economics, Politics and Society: Educational Contexts, Children Living on the Streets and This Research 205 Conclusion  209 6. The Stories We Tell 223 Using Resistance Theory 223 Profile of Participants 233 Akbar,2 Male, 7.5 Years Old 233 Arav, Male, 4.5 Years Old 234 Bhijali, Female, 3.5 Years Old 235 Birbal, Male, 7 Years Old 236 Krish, Male, 4.5 Years Old 237 Payal, Female, 5 Years Old 238 Rani, Female, 7 Years Old 238 Rathore, Male, 8 Years Old 240 Sonakshi, Female, 4 Years Old 241 Tara, Female, 4.5 Years Old 242 Children’s Lived Experiences and Perspectives 243 Conformist Resistance 243 Learning English 244 Belief in the System of Education 246 Caretaking 248 Self-defeating Resistance 252 Apathy and Self-soothing  252 Self-deprecating and Destructive Behaviours 254 Systematic Understanding and Critique 258 Obedience and Underlife 262 Transformative Resistance 265 Aspirations and Plans to ‘Be Someone’ 266 Creative Problem Solving 267 Ensuring Fairness 269 Speaking Out 270 Helping and Teaching Others Social Justice 271 Dignity Work 273 Conclusion 276 7. Resistance for Social Justice and Critical Consciousness 281 Language Hierarchies, Neoliberal and Developmental Discourses: Divide and Rule 282 Language Hierarchies and Neoliberal Discourses 282 Developmental Discourses and Micropractices of Power 286 Resistant Behaviour as Communication 288 Resistance as a Communication of Self-defence and Agency 288 Resistance as a Communication of the Desire for Social Justice and Listening 290 Underlife Resistance, Dignity and the Pedagogy of Indignation 293 Policy Implications 296 Research Implications 299 Practice Implications 300 Limitations and Further Research Suggestions 302 Conclusion 304 8. Summary: If Gandhi was a Child in Your Classroom 313 "Critical Consciousness, Social Justice and Resistance: The Experiences of Young Children Living on the Streets in India reports on an investigation of critical consciousness and social justice conducted with young children living on the streets in Mumbai, India. The book explores how children-through complex, layered and diverse forms of resistant behaviours-struggled against, challenged, and at times, transformed the experiences of structural inequality, injustice and oppression they often faced in their everyday lives. Drawing on insights from critical pedagogy, the study argues that educators can work in solidarity with children, families and communities to transform-rather than simply adapt-to situations of oppression that exist both within and outside of educational contexts. It is argued that practitioners and policy makers, open genuine spaces for educational endeavours that value children's dignity, understand resistant behaviour as a form of communication, and focus on transformative resistance as a praxis of citizenship"-- Provided by publisher Critical Consciousness, Social Justice and Resistance explores how street children - through complex, layered and diverse forms of resistant behaviours - struggled against, challenged, and at times, transformed the experiences of structural inequality, injustice and oppression they often faced in their everyday lives.