The Long March toward Revitalization: Developing Standpoint in Curriculum Studies

Abstract

Background/Context There historically exists significant epistemological and political tension within the field of curriculum studies. Further, although there is some application of standpoint theory in educational research generally, and little used within curriculum studies specifically, much of it is undertheorized at best and, in many cases, misapplied or misunderstood. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of this article is to offer a potential resolution to the epistemological and political tension within the field of curriculum studies through the development of a conception of curricular standpoint that recognizes the dialectical relationship between the subjectivity of experience and the materiality of social and economic relations. Another purpose of this article is both to illustrate curricular standpoint as both a methodological tool for analysis and to justify a politics of social justice in classroom practice. Research Design This study is designed as an analytic essay that addresses critical issues within curriculum studies, develops a conceptual framework to address those issues, and analyzes concrete examples that illustrate the conceptual framework. Conclusions/Recommendations This study concludes that the framework for curricular standpoint can serve as a viable methodological tool for curriculum studies to overcome its ongoing epistemological and political tensions, and as an epistemologically strong orientation for the curriculum taught by classroom teachers.

Curriculum Standpoint for Social Justice: Understanding the Politics of School Knowledge

“…Standpoint theory has been little used in educational theorizing and practice, and I have discussed its use (see, Au, 2012Au, , 2018. What is critical is that, when applied to curriculum, standpoint theory offers us a tool for understanding the relationship between curriculum and social justice.…”

“…In this paper I have argued for the need for us to understand the relationship between curriculum and social justice, largely through the lens of what I call "curricular standpoint" (Au, 2012(Au, , 2018. This framing helps define the connective tissue of how social, cultural, institutional, economic, and political context manifest within the struggle over knowledge, including which knowledge gets framed as commonsense and hegemonic through things like textbooks, state standards, and high-stakes exams, thereby also implicated student consciousness about the world.…”

What's Critical Feminism doing in a field like Teacher Education?

“…Importantly, we see a similar discussion within standpoint theory. Au (2012) describes standpoint theory as: .…”