Dialogic Pedagogy as a Liberatory Praxis in Schooling: Challenging Power Dynamics and Neoliberalism in the Context of Schools in Kashmir

Abstract

Dialogic pedagogy positions learners and their lived experiences at the core of education, reimagining schooling as a collaborative process of co-constructing, challenging, and reinterpreting knowledge within its social, cultural, and political contexts. This approach fosters critical consciousness, empathy, and democratic engagement, which are essential for meaningful education, particularly in conflict-affected regions like Kashmir. Amid Kashmir’s complex sociopolitical disruptions, digital divides, and educational inequities, dialogic pedagogy emerges as a transformative alternative to neoliberal, exam-driven, and authoritarian educational models. This paper situates dialogic pedagogy as a liberatory praxis within Kashmiri schooling, integrating foundational theories with recent policy reforms and grassroots innovations. Ten respondents were interviewed across the Kashmir Division as the effective sample to explore various aspects of socio-political narratives in consonance with the implications of dialogic pedagogy. It offers a nuanced critique that acknowledges local resilience, intersectional realities, and the therapeutic potential of dialogic engagement, enhanced by illustrative narratives that humanise the lived experiences of Kashmiri students and educators. The paper explores the post-traumatic development of various socio-political dimensions, where individuals have learnt to both survive and thrive in the face of adversity. The paper also focusses on the impact of the neoliberal and chronic capitalistic approach to present-day schooling, which imposes more exclusion on marginalised groups. The role of dialogic pedagogy is to rise against this notion and impose a strategic limitation on the privatisation and marketing of education, like other potential capitals. The paper suggests that dialogic pedagogy plays a significant role in the Indian context, aligning with the National Education Policy 2020 and other critical measures to promote its importance in this diverse society.