Countering the Mythology of Inclusion is a collection of counter-stories which push against the current ideological understandings and practice of inclusion. The stories shared are ones that educators may not have considered as majority of educators are white thus, blinding us to the power of whiteness in an ‘inclusive’ setting. Inclusion, intended to provide equal opportunities to and education, was wrong from the start. By forcing children to conform into a system which responds to global economic demands, children who do not meet a predetermined outcome are left with a loss of choice, of their identity, of opportunities. This collection considers multiple intersections of race, gender, ability, bodies - each pushing back against the power of whiteness which models of inclusion currently maintain. The mythology of inclusion not only reproduces whiteness, but through a collection of add-ons such as GSAs, schools and educators remain complicit in this reproduction whilst engaging in performances of inclusion.
Countering the Mythology of Inclusion
Dr. Teresa Anne Fowler, Ph.D, is a settler scholar and completed her doctorate at Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary and is an Assistant Professor and Acting Department Chair in the Faculty of Education, Physical Education and Wellness at Concordia University of Edmonton.