Teaching Villainification in Social Studies: Pedagogies to Deepen Understanding of Social Evils

Scholars from the US, Canada, and Australia explore the concepts of villainification and anti-villainification in social studies curriculum, popular culture, and sociocultural contexts, with implications for teaching about historical wrongdoing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: Teachers' College Press

In this comprehensive collection, scholars from the United States, Canada, and Australia delve into the intricate concepts of villainification and anti-villainification within social studies curriculum, popular culture, and sociocultural contexts. Villainification refers to the process of attributing the blame for a significant evil solely to an individual or a small group of individuals, while anti-villainification explores the complex interplay between individual and group culpability to foster a sense of responsibility among students as human beings in communities on our planet.

Chapter authors examine a diverse range of topics, encompassing U.S. politics, financial education, Holocaust education, difficult histories, apocalypse fiction, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, technology use, LGBTQ school experiences, rape culture, geographies of invasion, and the female body. These in-depth inquiries into villainification provide valuable insights for teaching about historical wrongdoing in more nuanced and impactful ways. They challenge educators to be more reflective not only about curriculum but also about the world around us. By examining how systemic forces can influence ordinary individuals to perpetrate or contribute to societal harm, the book helps readers grasp the potential consequences of banal evil in our lives both within and beyond the classroom.

The collection includes teacher-friendly engagements with theory, utilizing examples from middle and high school classrooms to facilitate understanding and application of these concepts. With a wide range of contexts related to social studies education, including civics, economics, geography, and history, this book serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to enhance their teaching practices and promote a more responsible and empathetic society.

Dimension: 235 x 162 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780807769690