Using Postcolonial Literature to Develop a Pedagogy of Social Justice: Possibilities and Contradictions

• In Event: 41.084 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 41.084-15 - Social Justice in Global Contexts

Abstract

This paper describes a Canadian research project that aims to engage English teachers in developing a pedagogy of social justice by reading and responding to a range of postcolonial literary texts. Study data is derived from an inquiry group of seven participants from the province of British Columbia.The presentation seeks to examine the dissonance between the explicit ideological project of social justice and the intentions revealed in one participants’ discourse. We problematize two moments of discomfort that emerged in our discussions to explain how particular signifiers—excuses for not teaching the text—create forms of symbolic authority that potentially hinder the development of a pedagogy of social justice.

Authors

• Magdalena Vergara, The University of British Columbia

• Teresa M. Dobson, The University of British Columbia