Learning from and with refugee teachers: exploring subjective journeys and the making of equitable communities in Malaysia

This paper explores the personal and professional journeys of refugee teachers participating in the ‘Teachers for Education Equity’ PGCEi programme in Malaysia, designed by the [University's name anonymised]. Drawing on qualitative research, it examines how refugee teachers navigate teaching roles in marginalised educational contexts, and how their experiences shape equitable and inclusive communities. Using post-structural theory, particularly Deleuze and Guattari's concepts of assemblage and becoming, and decolonial thinking, this paper investigates how teachers’ subjectivities evolve beyond fixed categories. The PGCEi is conceptualised as an assemblage that integrates formal knowledge, refugee teachers’ lived experiences, and the political specificities of Malaysia's post-colonial and undocumented refugee context. Analysis of reflective narratives reveals how teachers contend with rigid structures such as ability-based stratification and neoliberal performance pressures, while also generating spaces for transformation through collaboration, inclusive pedagogies and emotional engagement. Their subjective development and experiences point to new possibilities for decolonial and community-grounded education. The findings offer insights into how refugee teachers reconfigure educational practices, disrupting Eurocentric norms and advancing locally grounded equity. The study highlights the transformative potential of teacher education that is participatory, reflexive and politically engaged, offering critical lessons for inclusive education policy and practice in the Global South and beyond.