The Hopes and Challenges of Critical Pedagogy in Higher Education Classrooms

Friday, 11 July 2025: 09:00-10:45
Location: SJES028 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
RC04 Sociology of Education (host committee)

Language: English

Critical pedagogy has emerged as a vital approach in higher education in the context of the Anthropocene, offering the potential to create more inclusive, equitable, and socially aware learning environments. Its aim is to develop students' critical consciousness and equip them with the knowledge and skills to engage with and transform their societies.

Inspired by the work of influential scholars such as Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, and bell hooks, critical pedagogy seeks to unearth ontological and epistemic justice through various pedagogical practices including (but not limited to) art-based approaches, critical race theory, critical digital literacy, ecopedagogy, feminist pedagogy, global citizenship education, queer pedagogy, and participatory action research. It encourages the integration of diverse knowledge systems, including indigenous, feminist, and non-Western perspectives, which are essential for addressing the interconnected global issues of our time.

This session invites contributions that explore both the hopes and challenges of implementing critical pedagogy to address issues of sustainability, diversity, social justice, decolonization, and equity in various higher education institutions worldwide. Through this session, we aim to foster a comprehensive dialogue on the transformative potential of critical pedagogy and its role in shaping a more just and equitable global society.

Session Organizers:
Liang-Wen LIN-JANUSZEWSKI, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany and Greg MISIASZEK, Beijing Normal University, China
Oral Presentations
Teacher Education and Development of Global Citizenship in Africa
Dr Samson MAEKELE TSEGAY, United Kingdom
A Synthesis of Critical Education with Critical Realism to Address the Possibility of Human Flourishing
Prof Alpesh MAISURIA, UWE Bristol, United Kingdom
The Hopes and Challenges of Ungrading in the Neoliberal University
Claire POLSTER, University of Regina, Canada
Critical Pedagogy: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Students' Development for Higher Education.
Anathi KOKO, University of Limpopo, South Africa
Teaching on the inside: Social Justice through Prison Education
Jessica MORONEZ, Chaffey College, USA
What Should be Taught in Indigenous Education? a Self-Reflection from the Perspective of Critical Pedagogy
Huimin FANG, National Kaoshiung Normal University, Taiwan
Wrestling with Paradoxes of Social Justice and Decolonization in Community Engaged Learning
Colleen ROST-BANIK, University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA; Tania D. MITCHELL, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
Social Justice Narratives in Academia: Challenges, Struggles and Pleasures Pete Educators Face in Understanding and Enacting Critical Pedagogy in Brazil
Jorge DORFMAN KNIJNIK, Western Sydney University, Australia; Carla LUGUETTI, Australia
Between Discretion and Discredit: Thinking the Materiality of Alternative and Feminist Pedagogies for First-Year Bachelor Sociology Students
Anne LE BRIS, Rennes 2, France; Goffre GOFFRE, Rennes 2, France
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