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Queer Theory/Pedagogy and Social Justice Education

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Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education

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Abstract

Queer theory and pedagogy can inform social justice education in ways that have teachers and researchers question how their teaching practices and philosophies reinforce social norms such as heteronormativity. Queer theory is post-structuralist, and while it is most often used to analyze queer subjects, it can be used to analyze the social and institutional norms in any subject. Queer pedagogy, stemming from queer theory’s call to deconstruct heteronormativity and other boundaries, works to expand the way we look at educational practices and research. Through it, one can examine the norms, boundaries, and limitations of not only curriculum and teaching practices but also schooling and learning as concepts. This chapter first offers a brief history of queer theory and then gives background information on queer pedagogy’s origins and recent definitions and manifestations. Then, frameworks for using queer pedagogy specifically with social justice education are explored. Discipline-specific examples from subjects ranging from music to science are detailed, which will give teachers of all disciplines ideas for queering their own classrooms. As queer theory and pedagogy are interested in intersectional identities and queer people and issues are affected by many other aspects of identity, particular attention is paid to recent research considering race within queer pedagogy research. Finally, applying queer pedagogy to teacher education and professional development is considered. In conclusion, final thoughts on the future of queer pedagogy in regard to social justice education are offered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA

    Summer Melody Pennell

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  1. Summer Melody Pennell
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Correspondence to Summer Melody Pennell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Comparative & International Education and Leadership, Soka University of America , Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

    Rosemary Papa

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  1. Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, USA

    Marta Sánchez

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Pennell, S.M. (2019). Queer Theory/Pedagogy and Social Justice Education. In: Papa, R. (eds) Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74078-2_103-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74078-2_103-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74078-2

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