Teaching Amid Discomfort: Social Studies Educators Navigating Politics and Emotion During the Hamas/Israel War

• In Event: Navigating Identity, Politics, and Resistance: Social Studies Educators Confronting Discomfort in a Polarized World

Abstract

Teaching about the war between Israel and Hamas that began October 2024 has been a complex challenge for many social studies teachers. The conflict, with its long and contested history, elicits a range of responses from both students and educators. Many people have religious, familial and cultural connections to the region; for those without direct personal links, the conflict can evoke discussion and discord around themes that are both deeply felt and disparately interpreted. In this paper, we ask how U.S. social studies teachers approach teaching about this conflict and what they experience as they do so. We consider the ways that context, politics and emotion figure into the experience, and explore the approaches teachers develop in response.

Authors

• Beth C. Rubin, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Kathryn Picardo, Teachers College, Columbia University