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Abstract

While a growing body of literature examines the role of popular culture in transformative learning, much of it centers on fostering transformative experiences among learners, rather than educators themselves. This paper addresses that gap by exploring how popular culture enhances transformative learning for racially minoritized adult educators. Drawing from my experiences as a graduate instructor at a predominantly white institution, I reflect on how engaging with popular cultural texts facilitated my own transformative learning within my teaching practice. Grounded in decolonial theory, which emphasizes the inclusion of Indigenous and marginalized knowledges while confronting contemporary colonial oppressions, my reflexive approach highlights the significance of popular culture in both personal and professional realms. Through a critical self-reflexive lens, I identify three key themes: a) my initial reluctance to incorporate popular culture into my teaching, and how transformative learning moments shifted my perspective, emphasizing the importance of fostering critical consciousness through diverse cultural artifacts; b) how popular culture blurs the boundaries between personal and professional knowledge, leading to a more inclusive and decolonial teaching approach; and c) the potential pitfalls of using popular culture uncritically, underscoring the need for reflexivity and humility in teaching practices. Ultimately, I argue for a decolonial framework for transformative education that acknowledges the complexities of educators' experiences and affirms the critical role of popular culture in shaping those experiences.

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