Just us, just discussing: imagined homogeneities in the Gender Studies classroom
Författare
Summary, in English
This article explores practices of othering through formations of normative sameness in discussion-based seminar classrooms. It takes literary scholar Stanley Fish’s question, ‘Is there a text in this class, or is it just us?’, back into the classroom to explore the formation of a ‘just us,’ an imagined homogeneous interpretive community which, I argue, has discriminatory effects by normalising
some voices and practices. It draws on feminist and anti-oppressive theory to discuss ways to pedagogically trouble the enactment of homogeneous interpretive communities in the Gender Studies classroom. As the Gender Studies teacher, I devised pedagogical practices based on the allocation of specific roles as a way to work towards an anti-discriminatory classroom by demystifying academic practice and framing seminar practice as a social genre. The article critically reflects on students’ subsequent reluctance to take on roles and
their preference for free-flowing discussions, doing what comes naturally, a ‘doing’ of academia which, I suggest, is linked to social privilege.
some voices and practices. It draws on feminist and anti-oppressive theory to discuss ways to pedagogically trouble the enactment of homogeneous interpretive communities in the Gender Studies classroom. As the Gender Studies teacher, I devised pedagogical practices based on the allocation of specific roles as a way to work towards an anti-discriminatory classroom by demystifying academic practice and framing seminar practice as a social genre. The article critically reflects on students’ subsequent reluctance to take on roles and
their preference for free-flowing discussions, doing what comes naturally, a ‘doing’ of academia which, I suggest, is linked to social privilege.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2015
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
654-665
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Gender and Education
Volym
27
Issue
6
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Taylor & Francis
Ämne
- Gender Studies
Nyckelord
- interpretive communities
- imagined homogeneity
- the seminar classroom
- genre
- anti-oppressive pedagogy
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1360-0516