Résumés
Abstract
We all have a sense of evil, but many of us do not ponder its nature or the ways in which our beliefs about evil shape what we teach and learn about the actions of citizens in historical or contemporary times. We argue that the word and concept of evil can be detrimental to the development of good citizens when it is used as a political and educational shibboleth to shut down critical thought about traumatic historical and contemporary events. Read through the work of Hannah Arendt and Alain Badiou, however, a pedagogical engagement with our understandings of evil offers an opportunity to learn from difficult events in a way that might inform contemporary action towards a less violent future.
Résumé
Nous possédons tous une conscience du mal. Or, plusieurs d’entre nous ne réfléchissent pas à sa nature ou aux manières dont celui-ci influence ce que nous enseignons ou apprenons sur les actions citoyennes, dans un contexte historique ou contemporain. Nous croyons que le mot et le concept du mal peuvent nuire au développement de bons citoyens. En effet, ce mot et ce concept peuvent être utilisés comme muselière politique et éducative (shibboleth), mettant un terme à toute pensée critique exercée envers des faits historiques ou des événements contemporains traumatisants. Cependant, à la lumière des ouvrages d’Hannah Arendt et Alain Badiou, allier l’engagement pédagogique à notre compréhension du mal offre la possibilité d’apprendre des événements difficiles de manière à potentiellement influencer les actions d’aujourd’hui, dans l’optique d’un avenir moins violent.
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Parties annexes
Biographical notes
Kent den Heyer is an Associate professor in the Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta. He has published extensively on history and social studies education, thinking education through the work of Alain Badiou and related topics in curriculum theory and teacher education.
Cathryn van Kessel is a doctoral candidate at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on youth conceptualizations of evil and social studies education. She explores not only how evil might be defined in historical and contemporary contexts, but also the effects evil as a word and concept has on our sense of agency.
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Parties annexes
Notes biographiques
Kent den Heyer est professeur agrégé au département d’enseignement secondaire de l’Université de l’Alberta. Il a publié plusieurs articles portant sur l’enseignement de l’histoire et des sciences sociales, repensant l’éducation en s’inspirant des travaux d’Alain Badiou et de concepts similaires portant sur la théorie des programmes et la formation des maîtres.
Cathryn van Kessel est doctorante à l’Université de l’Alberta. Ses recherches portent sur les conceptualisations qu’ont les jeunes du mal et sur l’enseignement des sciences sociales. Elle s’intéresse non seulement à la manière dont l’on peut définir le mal dans des contextes historiques et contemporains, mais également aux impacts que le mal peut avoir sur notre sentiment de pouvoir, comme mot et comme concept.