Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education

Teacher Education in the Context of Racialised Migration and Mobility

Across many national contexts, teacher education is increasingly shaped by migration, diaspora mobility, demographic change, and enduring racial inequities. In settler-colonial societies in particular, these developments are inseparable from longer histories of dispossession, assimilation, and unequal access to professional authority. Questions of who becomes a teacher, whose knowledge is valued, and what identities are recognised remain deeply entangled with race, language, nation, and colonial history (Santoro, 2015; Proyer et al., 2023). Teacher education occupies a critical position as the institution through which belonging, professional legitimacy, and exclusion are organised (Mitchell et al, 2026; Santoro, 2015; Sleeter, 2001).

Teacher preparation programs continue to shape who becomes a teacher, whose knowledge is recognised, which forms of language and identity are legitimised, and which communities are represented within the profession. While teacher education is often framed as a site of inclusion and opportunity, it can also reproduce racialised exclusions through admissions processes, curriculum design, practicum expectations, accreditation requirements, and institutional cultures (Gorski, 2009; Mills & Ballantyne, 2016).

This special issue invites scholarship examining how teacher education is shaped by, and in turn shapes, contemporary dynamics of migration, diaspora, Indigeneity, and racialisation. Existing research has explored workforce diversity, international teacher mobility, multicultural education, and racial representation, yet these conversations are often pursued separately. Less attention has been given to how migration, Indigenous sovereignty, racialisation, and professional formation intersect within teacher education itself (Proyer et al., 2023; Santoro, 2015).

The special issue aligns closely with the mission of Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education by foregrounding equity, identity, representation, structural inequality, and transformative educational practice. It also responds to pressing policy concerns, including the underrepresentation of minority and Indigenous teachers (Anderson et al., 2023), the underutilisation of migrant educators (Yip, 2026), racialised barriers to professional entry, and the persistence of Eurocentric assumptions in teacher preparation (Vass, 2017; Véliz et al., 2025; Yip, 2025).

We seek to foster a sharper and more integrated conversation about how teacher education is shaped by migration, diaspora, Indigeneity, and racial inequality, and what it would mean to redesign the profession through justice-centred approaches. The issue aims to speak directly to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers concerned with more inclusive educational futures.

Themes

We welcome empirical, conceptual, methodological, and policy-oriented submissions, including comparative and cross-national studies. Contributions may address one or more of the following themes:

1. Diaspora, Migration, and Teacher Professionalisation
Migrant, refugee, and diasporic pathways into teaching; recognition of overseas qualifications; professional re-entry; transnational teacher identities; labour market inclusion.

2. Racialisation and the Making of the “Ideal Teacher”
How race, accent, language, religion, and culture shape perceptions of professionalism, competence, and legitimacy within teacher education institutions.

3. Belonging, Identity, and Professional Formation
Experiences of culturally, linguistically, and racially minoritised preservice teachers, teacher educators, and early career teachers navigating inclusion and exclusion.

4. Reimagining Teacher Education for Justice
Anti-racist pedagogies, culturally sustaining approaches, community partnerships, innovative pathways, and policy reforms that seek to transform teacher education systems.