The politics of domestication and curriculum as pasture in the United States

In this article, I argue that the enacted curriculum in the United States of America is driven by a politics of domestication—a negative process of acculturation by which individuals are required to conform uncritically to established norms in a community of practice, and by which they are prevented from using their own craft and/or professional knowledge to assist the community to grow. As a result, the science curriculum, instead of being a site for critical engagement, becomes more like a pasture—a site for the uncritical grazing of the ‘official knowledge’. Suggestions are provided to address this pervasive issue and to explore more effective ways to develop curriculum that enables teachers to teach for diversity and understanding.