Deculturalization Of Education Essay

“Education is inherently political” (Manning p. 8) The educational structure in America has inherently been a hotbed of political arguments since the inception of the nation. Deculturalization, also known as Americanization, was the leading political ideology toward education in the country for much of western history. The roots of deculturalization can be traced back to ancient rome. Romans believed the idea of “imperium romanum” the idea that “the geographical authority of the Roman empire was the entire world” (Spring 2007 p. 2) The attempts of deculturalization in the modern era specifically in America has led to the emergence of an alternative view of education called Critical Pedagogy. Critical pedologists push back upon the decentralization

Critical pedagogy fights back against these processes and strives to create an equitable educational system that serves all students regardless of ethnicity or class.
The history of deculturalization in the United States in the earliest days started with the Native Americans. The impact on Native Americans extended to the very core of the education system. As European colonizers arrived on the continent, they initiated a campaign aimed at deculturalization. This process of deculturalization had many rationalizations, including economic interests, ideological beliefs, and a deep-seated sense of cultural superiority. The colonists rationalized this by believing they were “civilizing” and “saving” the Natives. (Spring, 2007 p 13) These views were the predominant ideology of the Europeans of the time. The education system was an effective tool in the deculturalization of Native Americans. As early as the 1780s writers such as Carl Kastle wrote about how the public educational system was primarily there to “protect Anglo American protestant culture” (Spring, 2007 p 5). In 1790 the Naturalization Act was passed to exclude citizenship from non-whites

Since the inception of the United States there has been a push to deculturalize and Americanize minority communities so that they acquiesce to the dominant anglo-protestant culture. These efforts began as early as the founding of the nation firstly with the Native American population and subsequently within various other minority populations. There has always been a level of political pushback to this decentralization however for much of our history has been pushed aside by the dominant views. Not until more recent history has the push back gained momentum starting in the early 1900s. This momentum has culminated in the civil rights movement along with the critical pedagogy movement. The critical pedagogy movement aims to challenge the status quo of deculturalization by empowering the powerless and encompassing various viewpoints whilst pushing back on the dominant culture. Critical pedagogy has been becoming more prevalent throughout the educational system however in recent times has begun to spark political backlash and debate over the educational system in the United States. As the ideology of the old view of American oppressor and oppressed becomes challenged many citizens in the oppressor group find themselves vulnerable and have begun lashing out politically and socially. Although this fight has been going on for over one hundred years