Critical Ancestral Computing: A Culturally Relevant Computer Science Education

Abstract

At first glance ancestral knowledge and computer science appear incompatible. Critical ancestral computing—socio-cultural and historical ecosystem approaches to solve complex problems—as an epistemological center for computer science education opens a pathway of critical consciousness, academic success and cultural relevance (Ladson-Billings, 2009). Weaving both disciplines to build a tapestry of critical ancestral computing in urban computer science education sets a stage for social transformation of present-day colonialism (Orelus, 2012). Critical ancestral computing feeds 1) a socio-historical learning context, 2) positive cultural academic identity formations, and 3) advocacy approaches that link engagement with society as individual and collective action by interrupting neocolonialism and prioritizing the health of social and environmental well-being.