Sub-versions of Criticality: Exploring the Limits of Conscientization, Theory, and Praxis

• In Event: Roundtable Session 45
  In Roundtable Session: Contested Curricula: Race, Democracy, and the Limits of Conscientization

Abstract

The three intertwining papers explore modalities of criticality as yet undeveloped in the literature, showcasing stories from below, sub-versions, that challenge commonly understood iterations of conscientization, theory and praxis. These have typically posited teachers and students as rational agents able to deliver and absorb critical content and work to change existing structures. The session traces the uncommon, surprising, and oft-overlooked processes that subvert the modernist underpinnings of critical pedagogies. Together, we ask: what are the silenced stories, neglected strategies, and understudied performances that serve to build criticality in and outside of the classroom? How do these elements tactically operate as sub-versions of traditional critical pedagogical spaces? How might these sub-versions complexify traditional notions of the public?

Authors

• Kathleen McDonough, Wheelock College

• Elsa Wiehe, Roger Williams University

• Stephen Thomas Sadlier, South Puget Sound Community College