Theorizing racism to advance science education research for people of African descent

In the past twenty-five years, the number of science education researchers of African descent has grown substantially. With that growth, there has also been an increase in research examining science teaching and learning as it pertains to populations of African descent. The articles presented in this special issue offer a peak into this growing area of work. In the present commentary, we reflect on the articles published here to identify ways that this body of research can be moved forward. Specifically, we suggest that improved theorization of racism would extend our collective work by yielding new research questions, encouraging methodological innovation, and generating new insight into the science education of African people. Drawing from these articles we identify three ideas that can point our attention to the types of questions we should ask as we conduct research with Black participants. The first is that racism is enabled by (and enacted through) images that are held and promulgated about African people. The second is that racism is enabled by (and enacted through) spaces that are hostile towards African people. The third is that racism is enabled by (and enacted through) spaces that are hostile towards African people.