Domination, Privilege and Fear: Uncovering a hidden curriculum of oppression in the Syrians' narratives on school

Abstract: Syria is going through a full-fledged conflict with unfathomable educational crisis. With the tremendous challenges in the educational sector in conflict situations, opportunities arise simultaneously for positive educational change. The purpose of this study was twofold: to contribute to informed changes in the educational system for Syrians through better understanding of education in the past, and to join the Global Development conversation on the need to look beyond numbers and schools walls when implementing new educational interventions. For this purpose, I used narrative inquiry and interviewed 16 Syrian former students on their educational experiences in the past. Given that Syria has lived under authoritarianism, I chose to look at the nature of oppression through analyzing the unacknowledged values and attitudes known as the hidden curriculum. I showed that the oppression in schools was full of contradictions; everyone was oppressed differently. In order to advance anti-oppressive educational initiatives, I argued, using Freire’s concept of the oppressor/oppressed contradiction that everyone’s oppression needs to be acknowledged before starting further changes. Finally, I brought in a few pivotal points for educators to reflect on, such as creating a hopeful space with students built on respect and mutuality in place of fear and mistrust.