Participation, assertion and aspiration-indigenous teacher agency in higher education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Educational research often silences teachers’ voices, distorting perspectives. This article delves into the marginalized voices of educators and administrators, focusing on Indigenous agencies within higher education (HE) in the state of Jharkhand, India. Employing the narrative interview method of oral history, it elucidates life stories through lived experiences amidst conflicting educational paradigms. Drawing from the author’s doctoral research, the article provides a historical and socio-political context of colonial legacies and contemporary challenges faced by Indigenous communities in India self-identifying as ‘Adivasi.’ Synthesizing an analytical framework through a ground-up approach, agency theories uncover new themes within HE’s temporal, spatial, and personal-social space. The findings describe counter-strategies against systemic denial of Indigenous agency within HE, contributing to discussions on the requirement of context-specific epistemic frameworks for India’s Tribal communities to assert their voices and choices in HE.