Considerations for Decolonizing Education through Restorative Justice for Cultural Healing
By Tiffany H. Raether Restorative justice disrupts the culture of modernity by severing the conditioning of colonial consciousness and individualistic-focused ways of being in relationship . As discussed by Dr. Fania E. Davis, long-time social justice activist, civil rights attorney, scholar and restorative justice practitioner, restorative justice stems from an indigenous ethos grounded in the deep value of maintaining “right relationship” as well as sharing one’s personal story.” (Davis p. 3). Restorative justice’s focus on relationships counters the predominant, Western practice of placing blame on the individual, feeding the conditioned need to identify an “other”. Modernist actions toward justice often deflect societal responsibility for the consequences affiliated with cultural norms derived from colonial psychology, which include deeply-embedded racial and class bias. If we define culture as an expression of values, restorative justice can serve as an opportunity for us to re-s...