Education as the Practice of Freedom: A Social Justice Proposal for Mindfulness Educators

Abstract

This chapter offers a constructive critique of the mindfulness education movement through a social justice and antiracist lens. In so doing, the author joins the growing call for a socially engaged mindfulness. The chapter begins by briefly introducing the work of critical scholars who are forging new categories to understand mindfulness as a social justice practice. Next, the field of mindfulness education is situated within a broader critique of corporate mindfulness, highlighting concerns about the ways mindfulness is being marketed as a technique to increase standardized test scores and manage student behavior in K-12 schools. The author then explores the racialized discourse prevalent in mindfulness education and examines the ideology of white dominance. An example of this is provided by critically analyzing a film that extols the virtues of mindfulness education but unwittingly demonstrates the white savior trope. Finally, a social justice framework is presented for consideration by mindfulness educators—a framework that shifts the deficit discourse of “school failure” and “troubled communities” to one of collective responsibility. By shifting accountability, the focus on behavior management of “problem kids” is replaced by a critical examination of the social conditions that create suffering for our children and youth. With an integration of antiracism and critical pedagogy, mindfulness educators can ensure that mindfulness is utilized as a practice of freedom (inspired by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire) rather than a technology of compliance.