Danvers, Emily (2015) Criticality's affective entanglements: rethinking emotion and critical thinking in higher education. Gender and Education, 28 (2). pp. 282-297. ISSN 0954-0253

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Abstract

Critical thinking is often understood as a set of tangible, transferrable and measurable skills and competencies. Yet, it is also an intensely affective experience that is complex, contingent and contextualised. Using interview, focus group and observation data conducted with 15 first-year undergraduate social science students at a UK research intensive university, this paper explores how students negotiate the complex knowledge practices that constitute critical thinking, particularly the affects of being and becoming critical. The theoretical tools offered by Karen Barad and Sara Ahmed allow a conceptualisation of critical thinking as a complex phenomenon of socio material and affective practices. This paper turns to Barad and Ahmed to explore the potential of their clashing theorisations for thinking through the affective territories of critical thinking. It will argue that acknowledging the way(s) critical thinking feels (as well as what it is and what it is for) opens up new imaginaries for feminist scholarship about criticality.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Education and Social Work > Education
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher education
Depositing User:	Emily Danvers
Date Deposited:	14 Jan 2016 09:35
Last Modified:	31 May 2017 11:59
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/59159

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