Draft:Rouhollah Aghasaleh

Rouhollah Aghasaleh
روح‌اله آقاصالح
Born	(1983-07-23) July 23, 1983 Tehran, Iran
Occupation(s)	Academic, Educator, Scholar
Known for	Educational research, curriculum studies, social justice activism
Academic background
Education	University of Tehran (BA, Special Education, MA, Educational Research) University of Georgia (PhD, Educational Theory and Practice)

Dr. Rouhollah Aghasaleh (Persian: روح اله آقاصالح; born July 23, 1983) is an Iranian-born academic, educator, and scholar known for their contributions to critical science education, curriculum studies, and social justice in education. They are currently an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.

Early life and education

Aghasaleh was born in Tehran, Iran, where they completed their Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and Master of Arts in Educational Research at the University of Tehran. In 2016, they earned their Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice from the University of Georgia, USA. Their dissertation, titled Does My Body Lower Your Science Grade? A Feminist Deconstruction of "Distraction" in Coeducational Schooling, focuses on the impact of gender, racial, and class biases in education.

Academic career

Since August 2020, Aghasaleh has served as an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Previously, they held various teaching and research positions at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. Their research interests include critical science education, STEM education for multilingual learners, and the sociocultural contexts of education, particularly focusing on how systems of oppression such as sexism, racism, and neoliberal policies manifest in educational practices.

Aghasaleh is the editor of several influential academic works, including Children and Mother Nature: Storytelling for a Glocalized Environmental Pedagogy (2019) and has contributed to more than one hundred journal articles and conference papers.

Aghasaleh has been appointed as the next editor of the highly respected Journal of Curriculum Theorizing and will also serve as President of the Foundation for Curriculum Theory, alongside Dr. Tristan Gleason, for a six-year term from 2025 to 2030. In 2024, Aghasaleh was included in Marquis Who's Who in America.

Research and publications

Aghasaleh's research addresses topics in critical pedagogy, feminist theory, and the impact of neoliberalism on education.

Oppressive Curriculum: Sexist, Racist, Classist, and Homophobic Practice of Dress Codes in Schooling

In the article Oppressive Curriculum: Sexist, Racist, Classist, and Homophobic Practice of Dress Codes in Schooling, Aghasaleh theorizes the disciplining of bodies in educational settings, exploring how school dress codes act as mechanisms of control. They argue that dress codes are not neutral rules but rather serve as a hidden curriculum that perpetuates sexism, racism, and classism by enforcing White middle-class standards and targeting non-conforming bodies. Drawing on theories of performativity and intersectionality, Aghasaleh suggests that dress codes disproportionately police the bodies of marginalized students, leading to harmful judgments about who is perceived as "appropriate" or "disruptive." By regulating students' attire, educators reinforce societal biases that dehumanize students based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status. This work has been cited globally across disciplines, becoming a top-cited source on topics of "dress code" and "curriculum," and is valued for its critical examination of how educational policies can reinforce oppressive societal structures.

A Reader's Guide to a Post-Qualitative Inquiry Proposal

In A Reader's Guide to a Post-Qualitative Inquiry Proposal, Aghasaleh and Elizabeth St. Pierre contribute to posthumanist studies by challenging traditional research methodologies and advancing post-qualitative inquiry. This approach fundamentally questions the human-centered, hierarchical structure of conventional qualitative research, which traditionally relies on methods and interpretations grounded in humanist perspectives. Post-qualitative research, as described by Aghasaleh, embraces a flattened ontology where the researcher, language, and the "known" are interwoven as active, agentive entities, rather than separating the human subject from data or assuming an objective reality awaiting discovery.

This posthumanist perspective encourages scholars to deconstruct the normative structures that govern research, emphasizing theory over pre-established methodology. Rather than beginning with a defined method, post-qualitative inquiry originates with concepts like intra-action, assemblage, and performativity, drawing from theorists such as Foucault and Deleuze and Guattari. By engaging in "thinking and writing" rather than coding and thematizing data, post-qualitative research becomes a process of exploring how discourses and power relations shape what can be known and said. This methodological shift—eschewing "contributions to the literature" or "limitations" as outdated constructs—aims to open inquiry to more complex, non-linear understandings that resist the accumulation of knowledge in a positivist sense, offering instead a persistent critique of entrenched structures within research practices​(A Reader's Guide to a P...).

Aghasaleh's work emphasizes place-based learning and the sociopolitical context of education, especially as they intersect with computational thinking and social justice. In collaboration with Patrick Enderle and Anton Puvirajah, Aghasaleh explores how urban Latinx middle school students can navigate complex sociopolitical realities through computational thinking projects. Their program creates a supportive environment that fosters critical awareness, allowing students to discuss and respond to issues like xenophobia, deportation fears, and racial discrimination in a collaborative setting. The study frames computational thinking not merely as a technical skill but as a tool for resistance and self-expression, grounded in the students' lived experiences and sociopolitical environment.

Their reciprocal model of teaching values the cultural knowledge students bring, connecting computational concepts to the pressing social issues students face. This approach aligns with critical pedagogy, particularly Freire's concept of "conscientization," which encourages awareness of social oppression. By facilitating student-driven projects in a culturally relevant and locally responsive framework, Aghasaleh's work exemplifies how education can be a pathway to both personal agency and community engagement, recognizing place and context as foundational to meaningful learning. This dedication to place-based learning situates Aghasaleh's research within broader discourses of equity in STEM and challenges the normative, decontextualized curricula that often fail to serve marginalized communities.

Children and Mother Nature: Storytelling for a Glocalized Environmental Pedagogy

Their edited book, Children and Mother Nature: Storytelling for a Glocalized Environmental Pedagogy (2019), published by Brill|Sense, explores storytelling as a medium to bridge local and global perspectives on environmental education. This innovative approach has been recognized by the Society of Professors of Education, who awarded it for its contributions to the field.

Upcoming works

Currently, Aghasaleh is co-editing Phronetic Science: Morally Guided and Praxis-oriented Science Education, alongside scholars Tolbert, Scantlebury, and Upadhyay, set to be published by Peter Lang in 2025. This work will focus on morally grounded and practical approaches in science education.

Aghasaleh is also an editor of the upcoming Handbook on Foucault and Education: Exploring Perspectives and Practices (contracted with Bloomsbury and expected in 2026), which is expected to offer a comprehensive exploration of Foucault's impact on educational theory and practice.

Aghasaleh's forthcoming book, Does My Body Lower Your Science Grade? A Feminist Deconstruction of "Distraction" in Coeducational Schooling (Humboldt Press, expected 2026), challenges the concept of "distraction" in coeducational settings, applying a feminist lens to deconstruct systemic biases in educational environments.

Activism

Rouhollah Aghasaleh is known for their activism in defense of Palestinian rights and their opposition to the militarization of university campuses. In 2024, they gained attention for their involvement in student-led protests at Cal Poly Humboldt, where they openly criticized the institution's handling of dissent and activism. In April 2024, Aghasaleh participated in demonstrations supporting Palestinian rights, which led to heightened tensions between students, faculty, and campus security. Their actions resulted in an arrest, along with other students, on charges that the District Attorney later dismissed due to insufficient evidence. In response to their detention and that of others, Aghasaleh pledged to fast until all detained individuals were released.

The university's response included placing Aghasaleh on administrative leave, a decision that sparked criticism from students, faculty, and community members who viewed this as a punitive measure to silence dissent. While on suspension, Aghasaleh organized "teach-ins" off-campus, providing educational sessions on social justice issues, the role of academia in political discourse, and the importance of solidarity with marginalized communities. Their supporters argue that Aghasaleh's activism aligns with academic freedom and represents a necessary challenge to institutional practices that marginalize vulnerable groups.

Local media coverage, including El Leñador News and The Lumberjack, has documented Aghasaleh's "teaching in exile" and solidarity events held in their support.

Awards and honors

Aghasaleh's work has earned them several awards, including:

• President Alistair McCrone Promising Faculty Scholar Award, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (2023)
• Honorable Mention – Outstanding Book, Society of Professors of Education (2021)
• D. Keith Osborn Outstanding Graduate Award, University of Georgia (2016)

Selected works

• Teacher agency and professional learning: Rethinking fidelity of implementation as multiplicities of enactment, co-authored with C.A. Buxton, M. Allexsaht-Snider, and others (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2015).
• Oppressive curriculum: Sexist, racist, classist, and homophobic practice of dress codes in schooling (Journal of African American Studies, 2018)
• (Un)building the Wall: Reinventing Ourselves as Others in the Post-truth Era (Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 2019).
• Children and Mother Nature: Storytelling for a Glocalized Environmental Pedagogy (2019)
• Does My Body Lower Your Science Grade? A Feminist Deconstruction of "Distraction" in Coeducational Schooling (Humboldt Press, forthcoming 2026)
• Phronetic Science: Morally Guided and Praxis-Oriented Science Education (2025, forthcoming)

See also

• Critical pedagogy
• Neoliberalism in education
• Feminist educational theory

External links

• Dr. Rouhollah Aghasaleh Professional Page
• Google Scholar Profile