Shala Ala'I

Shahla Ala’I

Abstract:

Chapter 31: NEPANTLA
Finding Spirit: The Pedagogy of Nepantla

We live in a time of global disruption and transformation. There are profound inequalities and serious threats to basic human rights within a systemic framework of domination and control. Applied behavior analysis has a spoken position on social importance. Our efforts, however, are centered in a hegemonic context and are not always accessed or desired. It is unsettling to think that we, as individuals and as a discipline are inaccessible, unresponsive, or undesirable. In this chapter, we reflect on these circumstances and how to advance new and unimagined ways, different kinds of conceptualizations and actions, that center on the well-being of all of humanity and social justice. We see the idea of Nepantla as a useful conceptual tool and learning approach that invites critical self-analysis and a transformational experience. This liberatory adventure is likely to extend our collective understanding and actions beyond Western, global north frameworks, and into spirit-based values that transcend material gains.