In this episode, I share with you all about a teaching strategy that has had a profound impact on my practice as a teacher and curriculum designer. This strategy is particularly important for critical, liberatory pedagogy, and it can be effectively applied to most types of learning environments. I’m excited to introduce you to “Professor Culture,” a fictional character that I’ve created, who has become a powerful tool in helping my students recognize and challenge dominant narratives.
Below, you’ll find a recap of the episode, but I highly encourage you to listen to the podcast episode and check out the lesson plan to learn more!
Some quick definitions so that we are on the same page:
Dominant narratives refer to the prevailing stories or discourses within a culture that reflect the perspective of those in power. They are enforced through media representation, education, institutional norms, and social conditioning, which collectively reinforce and perpetuate the accepted narratives that serve dominant groups.
Anti-oppressive counternarratives are stories or discourses within a culture that challenge and resist systemic forms of oppression, discrimination, and inequity. They seek to amplify the voices and experiences of marginalized groups while dismantling the dominant narratives that uphold oppressive structures.
Dominant Narratives are Always in the Background
When I started my teaching journey, I was (naively) eager to dive right into exploring anti-oppressive counternarratives without acknowledging the dominant narratives that my students had been exposed to throughout their lives.
In my mind, dominant narratives already got enough air time everywhere else, and I simply wanted to ignore or silence them. However, it never took very long for these narratives to rear their heads during our discussions. My efforts, and those of some students, were then consistently spent countering these dominant narratives and explaining why these widely held beliefs aligned with oppressive structures.
I found it frustrating to have to unpack basic dominant narratives midway through our unit. I worried I’d failed as a teacher; it felt like backpedaling. These narratives had already been dispelled by the content we were studying (or so I thought), and I wanted to move on to more transformative conversations.
Eventually, I realized that my approach needed adjustment. Ignoring the dominant culture wasn’t working pedagogically, and something had to change.
Introducing Professor Culture
This is where “Professor Culture” came into the picture. Professor Culture is a fictional character I created, who personifies the dominant culture and its narratives. The twist is that Professor Culture exists only in the collective imagination of the class. My students take on the role of Professor Culture, asking him questions and then answering them in his voice.
To introduce Professor Culture, I usually show students an image of an older White man in a lab coat, symbolizing the trusted and “unbiased” authority figure in our dominant culture. This image largely transcends geographical and cultural boundaries due to the influence of colonialism and White Supremacy.
Professor Culture only speaks in dominant narratives. Therefore, students must identify the dominant narrative— often what comes to mind as the most “obvious” answer— to impersonate him. His answer is usually what people would uncritically consider as “just the fact,” “the logical explanation,” or “the tradition.” Of course, he emphasizes what is considered “normal” as being inherently more neutral and natural.
In my introductory lesson, I make it clear that Professor Culture is backed by power, which allows him to assert dominant narratives with authority. Power also allows him to silence and police counternarratives that would threaten the interests of the dominant class.
Download the full lesson plan here
Using Professor Culture in Lessons
Professor Culture becomes a recurring guest in my classroom, and he helps students identify and challenge dominant narratives regularly. I believe one of the most effective ways to use Professor Culture is to ask him why certain conditions exist. This approach can be applied to virtually any topic.
Let’s take an example from my classroom, where I asked Professor Culture why racism exists. When I pose this question, my students brainstorm answers in Professor Culture’s voice. Their responses typically reflect a common dominant narrative: that people are naturally afraid of difference. In other words, racism is attributed to our inherent fear of what we don’t know and understand.
However, this narrative is not only misleading but also harmful. It fails to acknowledge the historical construction of race and the ways in which racism is perpetuated by systems of power. It simplifies a complex issue and ignores the fact that racism was constructed to justify the exploitation of certain groups for economic and political gain.
The Value of Naming Dominant Narratives in Anti-Oppressive Education
What I’ve realized is that identifying and addressing dominant narratives early in the learning process is incredibly valuable. These narratives become a helpful reference point, helping us to meet students where they are and guiding them toward a better understanding of counternarratives. Dominant narratives are like the background music to all of our lives, so we must actively make use of them if we wish to subvert them. After all, students will encounter these narratives everywhere outside the classroom, and they must develop the skills to critically engage engage with them.
Do you want to try out using Professor Culture in your classroom? Then check out the Curriculum Store and download the facilitator resources!