International Research
Current Research
Civic Engagement and the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon
Academic Leads: Dr Claudia Sampaio and Dr Ornette D Clennon
Dr Ornette D Clennon (Visiting Professor of the Federal University of the Amazon) and Professor Lawthom (MMU) are currently working with Dr Cláudia Sampaio (Federal University of the Amazon) on a Federal University of the Amazon funded research project that will examine how participative arts methodologies that use performative social science research, decolonial community psychology and critical race studies can facilitate processes of civic engagement for indigenous rural communities living in the Amazon area.
For more details, here.
Linked to Research: Project Mali, Manchester
Comparative study of pedagogy between African and Caribbean teachers working in Namibia and the United Kingdom
Academic Lead: Amber Abisai
In partnership with the University of Namibia, Amber will be conducting research into the pedagogical practices of Namibian teachers and supplementary school teachers in the UK. The research will aim to uncover the similarities and differences between pedagogies in terms of the use culture and heritage as tools of motivational engagement, as it uncovers the localised versions of Ubuntu that underpin their respective teaching practices.
Linked to Research: Making Education a Priority (MEaP)
Archived Research
Researching the African Philosophical Approach to Education as central pedagogy for African and Caribbean-led supplementary education
Academic Leads: Amber Abisai and Dr Ornette D Clennon
In partnership with Professor Yusef Waghid of Stellenbosh University, South Africa, we are exploring the application of an African Philosophical Approach to Education in a European context. The research will be led by Making Education a Priority (MEaP) and will involve examining the impact of a social justice-led pedagogy (Ubuntu) on African and Caribbean pupil attainment.
Linked to Research: Making Education a Priority (MEaP)
Youth Bridges
In September and November 2020, we hosted two online events that were led by young people from Brazil and the UK, aged 16 – 25yrs . The sessions explored what education, employment and self development meant to the young people during the COVID-19 crisis. The September session was led by the Brazilian cohort to introduce the group to life for young people in Brazil. The November session was led by the UK cohort to introduce the group to life for young people in the United Kingdom.
We worked in partnership with the KORI Youth Charity and The Federal University of the Amazon (UFAM). These sessions formed an introduction to the two diverse sets of communities with a view towards developing a global youth work programme, exploring Personal, Social, Health and Economic education in a global context. We hope to repeat this programme, adding our other partners from The Gambia, Nigeria, Botswana and Namibia to our collaborative mix. This is the cornerstone of our Global Citizenship education programme.
For more details, here.
Linked to Research: Making Education a Priority (MEaP)
Underneath Blackness
Academic Leads: Dr Deanne Bell, Dr Christopher Sonn and Dr Ornette D Clennon
Five black researchers explore what it means to be made black in contemporary Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, we are attempting to critically interrogate blackness transnationally, recognizing its relationship to whiteness and the challenges that exist to uncouple one from the other.
For more details, here.
Linked to Research:
Keeping it Real? Applied Critical theory research and Community arts activism