{"id":24616,"date":"2025-09-16T19:25:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T19:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/academic-affairs\/?p=24616"},"modified":"2025-09-16T19:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T19:32:24","slug":"dr-natasha-hakimali-merchant-centering-justice-identity-in-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/academic-affairs\/news\/2025\/09\/16\/dr-natasha-hakimali-merchant-centering-justice-identity-in-education","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Natasha Hakimali Merchant: Centering Justice &amp; Identity in Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/education\/faculty-staff\/natashamerchant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Natasha Hakimali Merchant<\/a>, Associate Professor in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, is committed to constantly rethinking what justice looks like and how to foster change within teaching and research. Dr. Merchant\u2019s courses include foundations courses which examine systemic equities within U.S. societies, courses for graduate students imagining societies free from oppression, and special topics courses focusing on Critical Muslim Studies and South Asian studies.\u00a0Her research interests investigate the ways in which Islam is taught about in secondary high-school classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-3-font-size\">Courses that challenge &amp; inspire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Merchant\u2019s dynamic range of courses invites students to critically examine equity, identity, and social justice in education. In Education &amp; Equity in the U.S. (BEDUC 205) , she explores systemic inequalities and their impact on educational access and outcomes. Through Critical Diversity Studies (BEDUC\/BIS 255), students engage with complex concepts of difference and power. Additionally, Social Justice Education: Oppression, Resistance, and Liberation (BEDUC 512) challenges graduate students to explore frameworks of oppression and strategies for transformative resistance within a variety of educational settings. Through these courses, Dr. Merchant equips students with critical tools to become thoughtful and justice-oriented educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-3-font-size\">Collaborative scholarship for social change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Merchant&#8217;s collaborative research endeavors focus on disrupting erasure and marginality in educational practices. Alongside colleagues Dr. Wayne Au and Dr. Sarah Shear, she co-authored the book <a href=\"https:\/\/eric.ed.gov\/?id=ED622998\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Insurgent Social Studies: Scholar-Educators Disrupting Erasure and Marginality<\/em><\/a>, which examines how educators can challenge dominant narratives and create inclusive curricula that reflect diverse perspectives. This work contributes to ongoing conversations about decolonizing education and promoting social justice through pedagogy. Dr. Merchant&#8217;s scholarship continues to inspire educators to critically examine their practices and advocate for systemic change in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-3-font-size\">Centering justice &amp; identity in education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Natasha Hakimali Merchant\u2019s work exemplifies UW Bothell\u2019s dedication to transformative, justice-centered education. Through her thoughtfully crafted courses\u2014from examining systemic inequities in Education &amp; Equity in the U.S. to imagining liberated societies in Social Justice Education\u2014she empowers students to question, challenge, and reimagine educational systems. Rooted in collaborative scholarship, her research, including Insurgent Social Studies, dismantles dominant narratives and advocates for inclusive, critically reflective pedagogy. Dr. Merchant\u2019s commitment extends beyond the classroom, nurturing future educators who are not only aware of oppression but also equipped to enact equitable change. In doing so, she invites us all to envision educational spaces that honor identity, confront injustice, and cultivate liberation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Natasha Hakimali Merchant, Associate Professor in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, is committed to constantly rethinking what justice looks like and how to foster change within teaching and research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":602,"featured_media":24617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"school":[],"class_list":["post-24616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-spotlight"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dr. Natasha Hakimali Merchant: Centering Justice &amp; 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