Edited by Sarah Chinn and Joseph Entin
The 2016 election of Donald Trump has brought with it a wave of dangerous, reactionary developments, including an emboldened white supremacy; brazen sexism; a belligerent foreign policy posture; an ever-more punitive stance on “law and order”; racist, xenophobic immigration and border policies; denial of scientifically-proven climate change; an augmented neoliberal, “business” approach to social problems; an assault on truth in favor of “alternative facts”; the elevation of hate and bigotry in public discourse and attitude; and more. While many were shocked by the election results, the Alt-Right, authoritarian forces and sharply regressive ideas that carried Trump into office have deep historic roots and broad support.
For many people, including the electoral majority who voted against Trump and those who are targeted by Trumpism, these are dark, distressing times. And yet, recent years have witnessed the rise of resistance movements—from Black Lives Matter and NoDAPL to the 2017 Women’s March on Washington (and affiliate marches around the country and the world) and nationwide demonstrations against the new administration’s bigoted immigration restrictions, among others. Left educators at all levels are active in the struggle, and have created networks to share pedagogical and activist strategies. This issue explores how progressive educators are teaching about, working within, and resisting Trumpism.
Contents
Introduction:Teaching and Resistance in the Age of Trumpism by Sarah Chinn and Joseph Entin
Preaching To The Choir: Turning Anger Into Engagement At Urban Community Colleges by Jesse W. Schwartz
On Belonging: Children Respond to Trump through Play and Imagination by Emily Claire Price and A. Susan Jurow
Kill and Drill by Jennifer Hernandez
Radical Digital Media Literacy in a Post-Truth Anti-Trump Era by Alexandra Juhasz
The #shitholes Syllabus: Undoing His(Story) by Clelia O. Rodriguez
Teaching High School Cultural Studies in the Age of Trump by DJ Cashmere
Fasces Americae and Walt Whitman’s House by Fred Marchant
After #Charlottesville: Interrogating our Racist Past in the Trump Era by Travis Boyce
Pushing the Line: Teaching Suburban Seventh Graders to be Critically Conscious through Historical Inquiry and Civic Letter-Writing by Andy Beutel
Educating Educators in the Age of Trump by Erika Kitzmiller
denvergoddamn by Chris Steele
Teaching ‘Trump Feminists’ by Tristan Josephson
Refusing to Wait: Just-in-Time Teaching by Ann J. Cahill, Tom Mould
Trump, J.K. Rowling, and Confirmation Bias: An Experiential Lesson in Fake News by Audrey Fisch
Making a RUCCAS or How is an Urban Community Change Axis like a Writing Desk? by Hannah Ashley, Katie Solic
Thin Edge of Barbwire: Pedagogical Strategies Against Borders by Heath Schultz
REVIEWS
The ABCs of Socialism by Bhaskar Sunkara by Adam Szetela
Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism by L.A. Kauffman Sunkara by George Lakey
TEACHING NOTES
Podcasts in an Alternative High School by Jack Murphy
How to Subvert your University’s Canned Curriculum by Jennifer J. Young
Resource Guide
Past Issues
About Radical Teacher
Radical Teacher, founded in 1975, is a socialist, feminist, and anti-racist journal dedicated to the theory and practice of teaching. It serves the community of educators who are working for democratic process, peace, and justice. Radical Teacher is a peer-reviewed journal and we welcome inquiries and ideas for articles, issues, or conferences from people actively engaged in progressive education. Learn more