Balancing the local-international dialectic in community psychology pedagogy: Lessons from adapting American curricula in the United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

This study analyzes the localization of a US-designed Social Innovation course in the UAE as a contested site of knowledge production rather than a straightforward curricular adaptation. Using reflexive thematic analysis of lesson plans and faculty reflections, we identified two themes: Curricular Containment and Cultural Substitution Without Epistemic Transformation. These demonstrate how localization efforts simplified content and replaced cultural references without embedding local epistemologies or challenging dominant frameworks. Rather than increasing relevance, these adaptations risked reinforcing the coloniality of knowledge and contributed to what we label symbolic epistemicide, the structural erasure of non-Western ways of knowing through institutional and curricular design. We argue that meaningful localization must go beyond surface-level representation to center Arab, Islamic, and Emirati knowledge systems through sustained collaboration with local scholars and communities. This requires rethinking pedagogy, authorship, and authority to foster more just, pluralistic approaches to curriculum development in transnational educational settings.