I hate that I didn't know this: Students' reflections on (un)learning to evade imperialism

Alexandra Allweiss

doi:10.1016/j.tate.2026.105444

I hate that I didn't know this: Students' reflections on (un)learning to evade imperialism

2026-05-23

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AI

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Alexandra Allweiss *

S

Shireen Al-Adeimi

N

Nesrin El-Isa

DOI：10.1016/j.tate.2026.105444

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Imperialism is often overlooked in U.S. K-12 curricula and teacher education programs, leaving students socialized into avoiding the critique of imperial histories or confronting their ongoing effects. Informed by decolonial and anti-imperial frameworks, this study considers the processes and implications of the ways U.S. imperialism is evaded through education, media, and society. Drawing on interviews and written reflections from undergraduates of a teacher education course on migration and education, we analyze how students reflected on their socialization into what we call imperial evasion. Findings reveal how students learned to evade imperialism, reflected on the continued impacts of these evasions, and grappled with the emotional weight of their unlearning. Through this work, we argue for centering dialogic and anti-imperialist approaches that move teacher education toward historically grounded and justice-oriented stances that inform instruction.

Keywords:

Imperialism

Coloniality

Teacher education

Schools

I hate that I didn't know this: Students' reflections on (un)learning to evade imperialism

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