Toward new educational foundations from the metaphysical catastrophe in the Global South

Purpose The paper looks at Maldonado-Torres's (2016) idea of “metaphysical catastrophe” and how it helps to understand the marginalization happening in the Global South. This paper, by focusing on the LGBTQ + community in Iran, uses one clear example to show the kind of systemic exclusion that many marginalized groups face. The point is not to generalize one group's experience, but to show how these realities can push us to rethink and redesign the educational foundations in a more honest and responsive way. Design/methodology/approach This research employs a theoretical approach shaped by postcolonial and decolonial ideas. By using the Iranian LGBTQ + community as the main example, the paper connects their lived experiences to the larger patterns of structural exclusion and leans on critical philosophy to show how material conditions and deeper knowledge hierarchies come together to shape these realities. Findings The analysis demonstrates that marginalized groups are relegated to what Fanon terms the “zone of non-being” which highlights both the philosophical depth and the material consequences of systemic exclusion, while also underscoring the potential for educational transformation. Research limitations/implications The study does not provide an ethnographic or quantitative account of LGBTQ + experiences in Iran. Instead, it uses the case as a symbolic point of entry into a larger theoretical reflection, which may limit the concreteness of its conclusions. Practical implications Educational policymakers and curriculum designers can use these insights to develop inclusive frameworks that move beyond Western-centric paradigms. Social implications The paper invites societies to confront systemic exclusion and to embrace practices that enable all communities to transcend conditions of non-being. Originality/value By linking metaphysical catastrophe to education and drawing from a Global South perspective, the paper offers a novel lens for rethinking educational foundations as transformative and inclusive.