What Resistance Looks Like: Stories From Educators Impacted by Discriminatory Censorship Laws

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Whose Knowledge Matters? The Politics of Educator Activism (Table 1)

Abstract

In this qualitative study, the authors interviewed 28 humanities teachers across 5 different states (CA, FL, MA, TN, and SC) to examine their experiences teaching during this political climate. The authors heard examples of how discriminatory censorship laws (DCLs) were impacting students and teachers, why many educators felt resistance to these laws was necessary, and what different levels of resistance looked like in practice. Given these educators’ stories, the researchers question what happens to the educational landscape when teachers hit their breaking points.

Authors

• Kaylene Mae Stevens, Boston University

• Erin Fife, Boston University

• Christopher C. Martell, University of Massachusetts - Boston