My Diverse Self-Learning, Unlearning and Re-Learning

 

Narratives of South Asian and South Asian American Social Justice Educators

Edited by Anita Rao Mysore 

Foreword: Christine Sleeter

Contributors: Nina Asher, Anita Chikkatur, Dimpal Jain, Saili S. Kulkarni, Anand, R. Marri, Anita Rao Mysore, Hema Ramanathan, Dilys Schoorman, and Raji Swaminathan 

Lexington Books, 2022

Series: Race And Education In The Twenty-First Century

Narratives of South Asian and South Asian American Social Justice Educators carries the voices of faculty in higher education. Caught between the stereotypes of the model minority and invisibleness, the authors narrate their triumphs, trials and tribulations as social justice educators in US teacher education and in allied fields. Their autoethnography-based narratives substantiate that a racial America is far from over. Stemming from their experiences in classrooms and in the community, the authors offer usable strategies to educators and administrators, with the objective of creating a socially just society. 

Chapter Eight: My Diverse Self: Learning, Unlearning and Re-Learning

I wrote this chapter in 2020 when I was lockeddown in Toronto. Fortunately, I had backed up all the required data online and so was able to access it. 

I owe a lot to my group of friends who helped me remember my childhood days with greater accuracy, and my students who read drafts and encouraged me to tell their tale along with mine. 

It was an intense period of self-reflection which made me glad for the experiences life afforded me.