Complexifying the Civic Public Sphere: The Disposition of Civic Queerness

• In Event: Decolonizing Civic Education

Abstract

Civics education has recently taken a dispositional turn, but researchers have largely missed what I call the disposition, or affective thinking trait, of “civic queerness.” Blending recent innovations in civics education, philosophy, democratic theory, cognitive science, and affect theory, I explore the ways in which civic queerness is the capacity to be curious, seek and enjoy complexity, and pose difficult questions that necessitate creative solutions. Further, I uncover the major attitudes, skills, and sensitivities associated with civic queerness. I ultimately suggest that it is necessary to teach civic queerness in schools because it can help students seek alternatives that help to create a more just public sphere at times when the status quo is unbearable.

Author

• David T. Bates, Stanford University