Using empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching-learning strategy to confront xenophobic attitudes in a context of higher education

Abstract

Xenophobia poses a threat to social cohesion in South Africa. It is vital that pre-service teachers engage with their beliefs and attitudes about this phenomenon, so that they can promote socially inclusive education in a way that is sustainable. In support of the March 2019 National Action Plan in South Africa to address racism, including xenophobia, a small-scale research project, underpinned by the notions of diversity and inclusivity, was recently undertaken at a Higher Education Institution, in the School of Education. This article offers a methodological contribution, arguing for the efficacy of empathetic-reflective-dialogical re-storying as a teaching-learning strategy that contributes to transformed teaching praxis. This could provide a pathway to social inclusivity for educationThis teaching-learning strategy, serves a decolonisation agenda, changing the way in which teaching-learning takes place. The participants, as agents of their own learning, engaged in a way that is transdisciplinary. They explored various perspectives and positions with regard to the ‘other’ in the interests of building a sustainable foundation for future generations to live with dignity, regardless of ethnicity.