Alternative Aesthetics: An Engaged Path to Decolonial Education

AlterNative aesthetics is a concept that investigates the early stages of creating a space for new ideas to explore various possibilities for changing the present and future. This chapter emphasizes the complexities of interactions and movements at the intersection of critical studies and Indigenous knowledge, which stimulate various modes of noticing and sensing. The authors propose a new analysis that goes beyond liberal and capitalist rhetoric, drawing on Indigenous or Native knowledges (denoted by the italicized term “Native”) and broader critical studies. They advocate for ethical commitments to co-producing knowledge with diverse communities as well as the adoption of ethical responsibilities and accountability to rebuild trust and foster critical reflexive connections. The authors also discuss the challenges of transformative pedagogical approaches, such as disrupting power dynamics, overcoming resistance to decolonization, and marginalizing diverse knowledge systems. The concept of alterNative aesthetics seeks to enable creativity and participation in imagining and building potential partnerships to decolonize relationships and education. The authors engaged in a dialogue to challenge the hegemony of knowledge representation and focused on personal, renegotiating, and accepting incompleteness. They aim for creative activism and collaborative resurgence while challenging the dynamic power associated with place specificity.