Innovative Disruptions: Black Feminist Geographies, Storywork, and Social Justice Research in the U.S. South
Abstract
This panel brings together doctoral scholars who use critical and creative methodologies to challenge systemic barriers in education, research, and spatial justice. Grounded in Black feminist geographies, storytelling, and embodied inquiry, these scholars disrupt traditional research paradigms to center marginalized voices. One presentation examines the experiences of a Black female science teacher confronting inequitable curricular practices in a predominantly Black and Brown high school, emphasizing the need to bridge cultural misunderstandings. Another explores Black spatial theories through speculative essays, envisioning a curriculum of possibilities for spatial justice in outdoor education. A third presentation highlights Sister Circle methodology as a transformative space for fostering Black girl joy, resistance, and healing. Additionally, a fictional narrative illustrates how storytelling can prepare teachers to understand and support students’ complex realities through radical love and care. Finally, Caribbean Feminist Storywork is introduced as a framework that honors the oral traditions of enslaved Africans, using folklore to resist and reimagine narratives within Caribbean feminist discourse. Together, these scholars create new pathways for theorizing and methodological innovation, demonstrating how research can serve as a means of empowerment and social justice. Through audience dialogue, this panel fosters critical hope, inspiring emerging researchers to challenge systemic oppression and imagine more just futures.
Presentation Description
N/A
Location
Room 1
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Bannerman, Alicia; Comarda, Amy; Kioko, Ambah; Mitchell, Lakisha; Ned, Sharifa; and Lake, Robert, "Innovative Disruptions: Black Feminist Geographies, Storywork, and Social Justice Research in the U.S. South" (2025). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 23.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2025/2025/23
Innovative Disruptions: Black Feminist Geographies, Storywork, and Social Justice Research in the U.S. South
Room 1
This panel brings together doctoral scholars who use critical and creative methodologies to challenge systemic barriers in education, research, and spatial justice. Grounded in Black feminist geographies, storytelling, and embodied inquiry, these scholars disrupt traditional research paradigms to center marginalized voices. One presentation examines the experiences of a Black female science teacher confronting inequitable curricular practices in a predominantly Black and Brown high school, emphasizing the need to bridge cultural misunderstandings. Another explores Black spatial theories through speculative essays, envisioning a curriculum of possibilities for spatial justice in outdoor education. A third presentation highlights Sister Circle methodology as a transformative space for fostering Black girl joy, resistance, and healing. Additionally, a fictional narrative illustrates how storytelling can prepare teachers to understand and support students’ complex realities through radical love and care. Finally, Caribbean Feminist Storywork is introduced as a framework that honors the oral traditions of enslaved Africans, using folklore to resist and reimagine narratives within Caribbean feminist discourse. Together, these scholars create new pathways for theorizing and methodological innovation, demonstrating how research can serve as a means of empowerment and social justice. Through audience dialogue, this panel fosters critical hope, inspiring emerging researchers to challenge systemic oppression and imagine more just futures.
