At the beginning of the introduction, Kumashiro defines “common sense” as, “what everyone should know” (p. XXIX). Later in the introduction, Kumashiro also states, “commonsensical ideas are often what help us to make sense of and feel at ease with the things that get repeated in our everyday lives” (p. XXXV). The first definition that Kumashiro provides explains the common sense in an over-simplistic, basic way. The reading continues to reaffirm that common sense is what everyone should know, but alters it to become more specific to what everyone in a certain society or culture should know. Customs are so diverse across societies and cultures, as Kumashiro relates in his telling of his experience in Nepal, so it is unrealistic and unfair to have the assumption that information that is viewed as common sense in one society is also viewed as common sense in another society. Kumashiro’s second statement stood out to me because I think we often use the words “common sense” in situations where we are trying to distance somebody else from the larger society while trying to maintain our inclusion within the larger society; if we view information as common sense we become at ease because it is a symbol of our inclusion.
It is so important to recognize the “common sense” because, as stated above, what is known as common sense is different in each cultural context. One strong example of this that was mentioned in the reading was when Kumashiro discussed the differences between the Nepali educational practices and the United States’ educational practices. Many teachers and students became upset with the way that Kumashiro was teaching his class because he was not following the practices that the students were so accustomed to and considered “common sense”. The reasoning that Kumashiro gave behind why he thinks the Peace Corps and himself perceived the American practices to be better than the Nepali practices was “the apparent similarity between practices in Nepali schools and practices we had just learned were outdated in the United States” (p. XXXII). This led to a feeling of superiority for American practices and, consequently, to the oppression of the Nepali practices. Therefore, it is important to recognize that common sense is diverse to each culture so that we do not unconsciously engage in the oppression of another culture’s knowledge or way of life.
Kumashiro. (2009). Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, pp. XXIX – XLI.
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