Beyond deficit Thinking: from epistemic subjugation to the decolinsation of thought and knowledge in the classroom

Students whose strengths differ from those valued by the curriculum and societal norms are often assessed based on perceived deficiencies according to the education system’s standards, rendering their knowledge invisible. This dynamic is shaped by deficit thinking, which dominates Western school systems. This paper examines the hypothesis that the “coloniality of knowledge” (Quijano, 1992) has fostered conditions that support the persistence of deficit thinking in education. It asks: To what extent is deficit thinking linked to the coloniality of knowledge as a power structure? Through a literature review, the study argues that rationalist scientific absolutism remains the epistemological foundation of education and teacher training in Western countries. The knowledge promoted reflects a privileged (white) perspective, marginalizing ‘othered’ subjects and their epistemological traditions, relegating them to peripheral positions in educational spaces.