Professor Joyce King from Georgia State University recently visited the Faculty of Education as a recipient of the Critical Studies in Education (CRSTIE) Distinguished Fellowship award. During her brief visit she spent time with lecturers, past and present education students, and gave presentations based on her research.
Professor King received a moving introduction to New Zealand with a powhiri at the Te Aka Matua o Te Pou Hawaiki Marae, which was followed by waiata, kai and korero with shared stories in the wharenui. She also visited the Fale Pasifika at the city Campus to talk to researchers and community educators about her research interests including race and social justice, black studies in education, and diaspora literacy and heritage knowledge in teaching and teacher preparation.
Past and present students from the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) programme at the Manukau Campus of The University of Auckland also attended a presentation that was also followed by an interchange of ideas, food and conversation. Many of the audience of around 60 students who attended were inspired by Professor King to return to their communities to record the stories of their heritage by engaging with family elders who hold important knowledge of community histories.
Maxine Stephenson, who lectures in the School of Critical Studies at the Faculty of Education said that Professor King’s visit was most inspiring for all who were privileged to meet her.
"It was a treat to have listened to Joyce, and many of the things she said keep lingering. It is wonderful to experience that kind of return after a speaker, and it was refreshing to hear someone whose politics, heart and mind were so in accord."
Professor King also presented a lecture entitled ‘If Justice is our Objective’ How can we educate for true human freedom?’ This topical lecture addressed our obligations as morally engaged educators, researchers and citizens in the tasks of education and teacher preparation. She illustrated that critically engaged research and teaching practice values the knowledge of diverse peoples, quoting her research into African epistemology in Mali, West Africa
Professor King, who has a background as a sociologist and holds the Benjamin E Mays chair in Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University, is currently researching teacher learning and development that draws on the African-American experience and African indigenous language, culture and educational practice. Together with Dr Hasssimi Maiga of Mali’s National Ministry of Higher Education, they have been working to incorporate local language teaching methods and teaching materials in the Songhoy language. Last year they opened a high school in Mali.
