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This book asserts that engaging with divergent understandings about the nature of evil and how it functions can help those interested in education think through issues in curriculum, pedagogy, and beyond. The author provokes thinking about and through the concept of evil in the spirit of thoughtful education (as opposed to thoughtless schooling) toward how we might live together in less harmful ways. Although thinking about evil can be uncomfortable and troubling, such inquiries help us explore what sort of relations we want to have with others. Analyzing our role in evil as humans, as well as our responsibilities to counter the processes of evil present in our everyday lives, opens up a potential to foster radical thought in and out of the classroom.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. Evil is in the Eye of the Beholder.- 3. Banal Evil and Social Studies Education.- 4. Processes of Evil as a Supplement to Citizenship Education.- 5. The Politics of Evil.- 6. Symbolic Evil and the Schooling System.- 7. Evil, Existential Terror, and Classroom Climate.- 8. Epilogue.-
About the author
Cathryn van Kessel is Assistant Professor in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta, Canada. As a researcher, a former secondary school teacher, and a current educator of pre-service teachers, her work seeks to blend educational theory and practice in provoking ways, particularly in relation to philosophy and social psychology.
Summary
This book asserts that engaging with divergent understandings about the nature of evil and how it functions can help those interested in education think through issues in curriculum, pedagogy, and beyond. The author provokes thinking about and through the concept of evil in the spirit of
thoughtful education (as opposed to
thoughtless schooling) toward how we might live together in less harmful ways. Although thinking about evil can be uncomfortable and troubling, such inquiries help us explore what sort of relations we want to have with others. Analyzing our role in evil as humans, as well as our responsibilities to counter the processes of evil present in our everyday lives, opens up a potential to foster radical thought in and out of the classroom.
Additional text
“This book is a great choice for anyone looking for a new way to think about ethical dilemmas and hard conversations as they exist in the classroom and in schooling more generally. … This book is a forceful read that adds a new perspective to educational theory and practice.” (Victoria Davis Smith, Theory & Research in Social Education, January 22, 2020)
“A unique and valuable apparatus that can help educators and students reconceptualize evil as being a perpetually developing and creative force. … elementary school educators could benefit from the identification of theories and concepts that could serve as starting points for discussion with younger students.” (Bretton A. Varga, The Journal of Social Studies Research, Vol. 43 (4), October, 2019)
Report
"This book is a great choice for anyone looking for a new way to think about ethical dilemmas and hard conversations as they exist in the classroom and in schooling more generally. ... This book is a forceful read that adds a new perspective to educational theory and practice." (Victoria Davis Smith, Theory & Research in Social Education, January 22, 2020)
"A unique and valuable apparatus that can help educators and students reconceptualize evil as being a perpetually developing and creative force. ... elementary school educators could benefit from the identification of theories and concepts that could serve as starting points for discussion with younger students." (Bretton A. Varga, The Journal of Social Studies Research, Vol. 43 (4), October, 2019)
