Nigel Brissett
Associate Professor, Sustainability and Social Justice
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Dr. Brissett's research focuses on how contemporary educational policies impact socio-economic opportunities in "developing" countries, particularly those of the post-colonial Caribbean, as well as other states around the world. His current work analyzes the intersection of neo-liberal principles and post-colonial social welfare policies, and the results that ensue. Dr. Brissett’s research is especially attentive to issues of educational access and equity for marginalized groups in the era of rapid neo-liberal globalization. His interdisciplinary scholarship draws upon postcolonial theory and critical education policy studies to examine Caribbean education and development through work in three key but interconnected areas: 1) education policy reform for educational equity; 2) Caribbean regional responses to global discourses of sustainable development; and 3) Caribbean high skilled emigration and continuity
In one of his more recent research projects, Dr. Brissett examines how skilled emigration — defined as emigrants holding a bachelor's degree or extensive/equivalent experience in a given field — from the Caribbean impacts educational policy nationally and regionally. This study highlights the complexity of developing effective policy to address a phenomenon, such as skilled emigration, that is subject to global forces (free-market principles, the free movement of labor) within the knowledge economy.
Dr. Brissett's professional experiences have been quite diverse but are primarily focused on educational expansion and equity in low-resourced settings. He has worked on educational policies, programs and projects in the Caribbean to extend tertiary educational programs and services to fifteen countries in the region. He has also worked on educational reform initiatives for the Higher Educational system in Afghanistan.
In an earlier career, Dr. Brissett worked in Jamaica's banking sector, as well as co-managed a government subsidized student-loan facility for low-income higher education students in the Caribbean.
Dr. Nigel Brissett was born in Jamaica, located in the northern Caribbean — a region with a rich but turbulent political, cultural and economic history. Much of this region's experiences, as well as Dr. Brissett's personal story, have shaped the social justice orientation of his intellectual work as he critically engages with the material and ontological worlds.
Degrees
- Ed.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2011
- M.S. in Government, University of the West Indies, Mona, 2002
- B.A. in Literatures in English, University of the West Indies, Mona, 1998
Affiliated Department(s)
- Sustainability and Social Justice
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Scholarly and Creative Works
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Light in Springtime: Education and Sustainability
Light in Springtime: A Celebration of Clark Faculty Research and Creativity
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Clark University
March
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2024
Sponsored by Clark University Library/ Center for Teaching and Learning (CETAL)
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(Re)thinking material and epistemic futures: Caribbean reparations, development, and education
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
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Miamai
March
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2024
Sponsored by CIES
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Decolonising Development in Education: Rethinking, Reframing and Reimagining Possibilities for Development and Education
Chapter: De-linking Development: Material and epistemic Justice and Caribbean reparations●
2024
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Minority Voices From The Academic Superstructure
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2024
IGI Global
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Interrogating the “Climate Education for Sustainable Development” Discourse
New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS)
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
November 10-11, 2023
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2023
Sponsored by New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS)/WPI
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De-linking Development: Material and epistemic Justice and Caribbean reparations
Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) annual conference
Spring 2024
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2023
CSA
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“Assessing the consistency between policy and practice of inclusive education policy in Jamaica”.
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
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Washing, DC
February
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2023
Sponsored by CIES
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(Re)thinking material and epistemic futures: Caribbean reparations, development, and education
Published in Race Ethnicity and Education
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2023
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Handbook of Methods in Comparative and International Education
Chapter: Autoethnography in Comparative and International EducationPublished by Bloomsbury
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2023
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Education in the film, Small Axe
Comparative Education (Smith College undergraduate class)
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Smith College, Northanmpton, Massachusetts
October
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2022
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"Education in the film, Small Axe.” Class titled “Comparative Education.” Smith College, October 17, 2022.
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Smith College
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2022
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Assessing the consistency between policy and practice of inclusive education policy in Jamaica
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
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2022
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Panel title: "Caribbean education for equality, health, the environment & economy"
Caribbean Studies Association 2022: “Reframing Caribbean Influences on Global Spaces: Critically Engaging Perspectives on Human Geography and Risk, Political Economy and Technology
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Online
May/June
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2022
Sponsored by Caribbean Studies Association
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CARICOM Caribbean’s HRD 2030 Strategy: Inscribing the neoliberal imaginary through social planning?
Comparative and International Education Society, 2022 Annual Conference
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Minneapolis, Minnesota (on-site/on-line hybrid)
April
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2022
Sponsored by Comparative and International Education Society
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Emancipate yourself from mental slavery: Education for consciousness, liberation and social advancement
(WEBINAR) Towards a culturally appropriate and meaningful education for Black (Caribbean) students
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Virtual
May 11
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2022
Sponsored by The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Center for English Language Learning
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International Encyclopedia of Education
Chapter: The Education Sustainable Development Goal 4: A critical appraisalPublished by Elsevier
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2022
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Caribbean dreams: Education for more than just sustainable
Published in The Journal of Environmental Education
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2022
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Vol. 53
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Issue #1
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Development Engineering in Practice: Case Studies from Around the World
Chapter: Integrative Collaborative Design of Research-Based Climate-Change Resilience Engineering Education: Insights from México-Lerma-Cutzamala Hydrological Region●
2022
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Negotiating identities: Experiences of Caribbean immigrant-professionals working in US higher education
Published in Journal of Higher Education
January
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2022
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An Integrative Collaborative Project Approach to Climate-Change Resilience and Urban/Regional Sustainability for the Mexico City Region
Published in Open Journal of Civil Engineering
Spring
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2022
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An analysis of “Education” in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe
Caribbean Studies Association
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2021
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Changing the Imperial Landscape Through Education, Activism, and Cultural Regeneration: Small Axe
Caribbean Studies Association
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2021
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CARICOM Caribbean’s HRD 2030 Strategy: Inscribing the neoliberal imaginary through social planning?
Comparative and International Education Society
Fall
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2021
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Education in the film, Small Axe
Comparative Education (Smith College undergraduate class)
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Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
September
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2021
Sponsored by Smith College
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The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
Chapter: A critical appraisal of education in the Caribbean and its evolution from colonial origins to to twenty first century responsesPublished by Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education
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2021
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CARICOM Caribbean’s HRD 2030 Strategy: Inscribing the neoliberal imaginary through social planning?
Published in Globalisation, Societies and Education
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2021
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Caribbean education for equality, health, the environment & economy
Caribbean Studies Association
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Awards & Grants
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Global Centers Track 2: Collaborative Planning for Sustainable Island Futures - Everyday Innovations for Climate Adaptation and Just Transitions
NSF
Nov. 1, 2023 - Nov. 1, 2025
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Outstanding Graduate Mentor/Advisor of the Year:
Clark University
2023
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