Speaking of critical pedagogy

Abstract

Some aspects of the critical discussion on the political science textbook cartoon controversy have suffered from a kind of misdirection of emphasis and even some normative distortion as a result of trying to interpret the practice of pedagogy in the light of piecemeal ideas about public reasoning and curricular change. The author of this paper outlines another way of thinking about pedagogy guided by his own experience as a teacher. He comments on the articles that appeared on the controversy in EPW in its 2 June 2012 issue, on the plausibility of addressing the textbook controversy as an "object" instead of a passing event and the difference this makes in our reasoning about the normative content of academic institutions and public accountability.