Decolonizing Notions of Empathy: Building Communities of Care

Through this chapter, we aim to discuss how we can decolonize “empathy” in academic settings, drawing insight from our experience and expertise in supporting students as Residence Life Staff. Using anti-oppressive and critical pedagogy frameworks (e.g., Gaztambide-Fernandez RA, Decolonization Indig Educ Soc 1(1):41–67, 2012; Pedwell C, Fem Theor 13(2):163–179, 2012; Tuck E, Yang KW, Decolonization Indig Educ Soc 1(1):1–40, 2012; Zembylas, Educ Philos Theor 50(6):579–589, 2018), we propose a paradigm shift in our understanding of empathy to critically reflect upon what it means to be empathetic in a helping profession like ours. We suggest that by contextualizing empathy within the neocolonial, neoliberal institution of “the University,” we can start critiquing the discourse around what it means to lead empathetically through the politics and ethics of care. This chapter draws upon a methodology that is best suited to understand the subjective experiences of students: an approach consisting of autoethnographic research, mindfulness, and arts-based practices, through which we reflect upon our own experiences as support staff. We also propose an interactive, arts-based workshop that takes place simultaneously with our chapter to demonstrate various methods that we have used with our students to engage them in support conversations. As such, our hope is that the discussion would lead to a more critically informed approach to caring for students and an approach that considers the positionality of the student within the helper–helpee relationship, as well as the larger institutional context.