Beyond Representation: Decoloniality Content Analysis as a Methodology to De/Reconstruct the Sociology of Expectations in Curriculum

Historically, content analysis has been utilized by Christian European religious scholars to analyze texts that are considered deviant and uncivilized. As a methodological approach to social science, content analysis thus far has remained uncommitted in offering an explanatory framework to understand the formation and persistence of Western knowledge in a white supremacist educational system. To disrupt these dominant forms of knowledge production, this chapter introduces decoloniality content analysis (DCA) as a methodology for the purposes of deconstructing Eurocentric knowledge and social practices and explores its implications for the study of leadership, curriculum, and the sociology of education. Specifically, this chapter provides an example of a research project that utilized DCA to interrogate the sociology of expectations in children’s literature featuring Muslim characters. This chapter highlights the intellectual stance, methodological approaches, and data analysis processes when employing DCA to analyze knowledge systems embedded in curriculum, including those that espouse to be pluralistic and multicultural. Given that these processes are often vaguely stated in research, the goal of this chapter is to present both conceptual and practical ways DCA can be utilized as a methodological and pedagogical tool for decoloniality.