This presentation discusses the entanglement of biopower, affect and social justice in education, highlighting how the normalization of emotions has made emotional life in schools the ‘object-target’ for specific technologies of power. The psychologization of social problems has been very much in evidence in the development of educational policies and practices – an approach which not only pathologizes social problems as individual psychological deficiencies or traits, but also obscures the recognition of serious structural inequalities and ideological commitments that perpetuate social injustices through educational policy and practice. In light of these considerations, Professor Zembylas will discuss the implications and suggest some directions for future research in education.
After the lecture, we invite participants to engage in further discussions and informal exchange. We will provide fika (coffee, tea, and snacks) between 14:30–15:00. The lecture and fika are part of the international Emotions in Engineering Education Symposium, which is held at Umeå University, 12–14 October 2022.
Sign up by 9 October at the latest. In-person attendance and fika are offered on a first come, first serve basis.