معرفی
Debbie Sonu serves as Associate Professor of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College and is doctoral faculty in the PhD Program at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her academic career focuses on the intersection of curriculum theory, urban education, and critical childhood studies.
She received her education in Urban Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2009. Her scholarly background informs her critical approach to educational systems and structures.
Dr. Sonu's research examines how childhood memories shape educators' understanding of systemic inequities in schools, with particular attention to race, class, and identity. Her work critically analyzes concepts of childhood innocence and nostalgia, revealing how these constructs often obscure historical and contemporary educational injustices. She investigates how teachers' personal histories influence their capacity to recognize and challenge inequitable practices in educational settings.
Her recent publications demonstrate a growing body of work that connects memory studies with critical pedagogy, showing how nostalgic narratives about childhood can reinforce normative ideas about education while ignoring the experiences of racially minoritized, queer, and trans children. Her research reveals how technological shifts during the pandemic created unexpected benefits for some marginalized students by providing respite from in-person school violence.
Dr. Sonu has received research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, supporting her collaborative work with scholars across Canadian institutions.
Her scholarship contributes significantly to understanding how personal memory intersects with structural analysis in teacher education, offering pathways toward more equitable educational practices that acknowledge historical and contemporary inequities rather than romanticizing idealized pasts.
