Self/Other, Other/Self: Conocimiento as Pedagogical Practice

Abstract

This article explores conocimiento, a term defined by Gloria E. Anzaldúa, as a pedagogical practice for teacher education. The authors present conocimiento as an approach to teaching and learning that centers on relationships with oneself and others, and highlights the retrieval of family legacies. The article argues that this practice can help challenge institutional norms and ideologies, such as social reproduction theory, which perpetuates social inequalities within educational systems. The authors describe how they apply conocimiento in a U.S. Women of Color (WOC) course at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). They useConocimiento Packets to encourage students to examine their personal histories and connect them to broader concepts like patriarchy, settler colonialism, and imperialism. By engaging in this process, students can develop a critical consciousness that allows them to name, contest, and ultimately dismantle harmful, oppressive systems. The article concludes that this pedagogical approach instills a sense of critical empathy and compassion in future educators, preparing them to work toward educational equity.