Gender, post-truth populism and higher education pedagogies

Gender back on the agenda in higher education: perspectives of academic staff in a contemporary UK case study

“…The research was conducted in a moment where gender is debated and contested, in the light of Gender Recognition Act debates in the UK. Global gains made in respect of gender equity and social justice goals more broadly are threatened (Burke & Carolissen, 2018) due to a prevalence of far-right authoritarianism. In connection with this, recent years have seen global attacks on emancipatory knowledge production, including trans/gender studies (Tudor, 2021).…”

“…A global backdrop of rising far-right authoritarianism must therefore be considered in relation to HE pedagogies and curricula (Burke & Carolissen, 2018). In the post-Brexit UK context, expressions of hatred including racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia and islamophobia are rife, with hate crime on the rise, including in university environments (Kayali & Walters, 2019).…”

“…The spectre of negative evaluations may dissuade academics, particularly those on temporary contracts , from introducing challenging content. Narrowly instrumental foci which dismiss theorization of social, contextual factors as irrelevant is concerning, especially given the urgency of responding to the current socio-political context (Burke & Carolissen, 2018). There is an important case to be made to students, departments and institutions around ensuring learners are provided with critical tools to challenge dominant conceptions, interrogate contexts in which they live, work and research and to understand histories of sexism, racism, colonialism, classism, ageism and ableism which contribute to shaping their experiences and those who they encounter in everyday and professional lives.…”

In Pursuit of an ‘Ethos of Community’: Postdigital Education in the Age of Covid-19

“…Once again, within the postdigital framework of Peters' (2020a, b) ethos of community, this viral pandemic represents a 'moral opportunity' for people to find themselves within the struggle and sacrifice for the greater good. However, this pandemic has also highlighted the mortal dangers inherent to a form of decentralized, non-hierarchical, and peergoverned 'digital socialism' (peer production, collective intelligence) which has enabled and contributed to the legitimation of racist/xenophobic discourses and narratives created within the current era of post-truth populism (Burke and Carolissen 2018;Peters 2020b). Post-truth populism can be best described as follows:…”

“…So (sic) post-truth populism is a form of authoritarian politics in which 'folksy or fiery leaders' make appeals to emotion and personal belief, eschewing objective fact, all in the name of 'ordinary people'. In concert with racism and xenophobia, it is often used to gin up fear and hatred of the racialized 'other' (Burke and Carolissen 2018).…”