Children as An/other Subject: Redefining Moral Agency in a Postcolonial Context

This article investigates how children’s imaginative play and racial-ethnic identity formation intersect with structures of oppression, drawing on vignettes that reveal the pervasive influence of what Emilie Townes terms the “fantastic hegemonic imagination.” Adult responses often dismiss children’s moral agency, reinforcing systemic racism and structural evil in subtle but powerful ways. By engaging postcolonial theory and Christian social ethics, the study emphasizes the importance of recognizing children as active moral agents capable of both reproducing and resisting oppression. Concepts such as countermemory open possibilities for subversive imagination, enabling children and adults alike to challenge dominant cultural codings and reframe moral growth as relational and imaginative rather than linear and rationalistic. The article calls for accountability among parents and educators, urging intentional practices of racial literacy and ethical responsibility. Ultimately, it advocates dismantling adult–child hierarchies to foster justice-oriented partnerships that resist racism and cultivate transformative moral development.