Disrupting the Cultural Historical Geographies of Inclusive Education: Notes for (Re)framing Policy Research on Disability Intersections With “Other” Identities

Abstract

The aims of this chapter are to critique the canonical view of inclusive education using cultural-historical and comparative lenses and to discuss the implications for future policy research. The authors highlight the significant advances that have been attained in making inclusive education policies and practices available around the world. However, they argue for a situated approach to understand how inclusive education traverses the global North and South and across cultural boundaries over time. They review evidence suggesting that new forms of inequalities may emerge as educational systems commit to inclusive education’s equity agenda. Their critical review of research from the global South enables the authors to illuminate dimensions of inclusive education that have been underexamined in this literature. These include the importance of accounting for culture, history, and power in the study of inclusion in stratified societies, the role of colonial legacies, the protean nature of education rights, the nuances of intersectional analyses, and the risks and consequences of producing color-evasive knowledge. Finally, the authors discuss implications for future inclusive education policy research.

Keywords: inclusive education; disability intersections; global policy; equity