Why Didnt I Know This Before? Psychoanalysis, Social Studies Education, and The Shock Doctrine

Authors

  • H. James Garrett

Abstract

In this essay, the author employs psychoanalytic inquiry (Britzman, 1998; Felman, 1992; Lacan, 1988) to think about the relationships between pedagogy, trauma, and crisis in the contexts of social studies and teacher education. The paper explores a potential space in social studies education that can acknowledge the psychic consequences of encountering Òdifficult knowledgeÓ where and when pedagogy and representations of trauma meet (Britzman, 1998). To do so, the author examines a question posed by his students Ð Why didnt I know this before? Ð describes the context that gave rise to it, and then demonstrates a way for social studies educators to think about the psychical demands inherent in learning about the world.

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Published

2012-10-01

Issue

Vol. 45 No. 2 (2012): Canadian Social Studies 45(2), Fall 2012

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2012 Author(s)

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