Memory work as an affective-discursive methodology for teachers’ negotiations of racialised differentiations in the classroom
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: How can we grapple with the often subtle, embodied and sometimes ephemeral experiences and affects associated with processes of racialisation? We propose memory work as an affective-discursive methodology that can inform and inspire educational research by interrogating that which is often not mentioned, but felt, located between words and bodily reactions. Empirical findings from two research projects on schools in Denmark provide insights into teachers’ memories and experiences of working in racialised diverse classrooms. Through analysis of memory work with teachers, we show how this methodology facilitates a collective space for sharing and negotiating challenging and often affectively intense experiences, specifically zooming in on teachers’ fears of being called a racist and of becoming embroiled in religious conflicts in the classroom. We argue that memory work as an affective-discursive methodological approach can be considered part of a collaborative endeavour to create socially just methods for studying sensitive and politicised topics.
Authors: Charlotte Lange Hald, Iram Khawaja
Institutions: Aarhus University, VIA University College
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
OpenAlex ID: W4415460717