Papers by Aislinn O'Donnell
Educational Philosophy and Theory
This essay focuses on three primary issues i. The conceptual resources offered by Spinoza to chal... more This essay focuses on three primary issues i. The conceptual resources offered by Spinoza to challenge the idealism and perfectionism underpinning much educational theory and dominant educational imaginaries; ii. His descriptions of a non-ideal, practical and systematic approach to developing understanding that could be applied to educational theorising and practice; and iii. The potential for a different vision of education premised upon understanding the human as simply a part of nature. Decentring the human and treating affective and mental life as one would lines, planes, and bodies, as Spinoza claims we must in Ethics, invites another way of thinking about the politics and ethics of educational practice. Enacting experimental approaches to pedagogy produces new subjectivities and also invents new connections and relations between different bodies and different ideas. I argue that a properly Spinozist understanding of education would require it to be understood through practices of experimentation, in short, developing capabilities to compose relations in such a way that one also develops a the awareness of oneself as finite, dependent, vulnerable and as a part of nature. Seemingly paradoxically then, having understood how and that one is determined, and which bodies agree or disagree with one, one becomes more capable of agency and thus an ethical life.
Special Issue on Refugee Education
The Journal on Education in Emergencies (JEiE) publishes groundbreaking and outstanding scholarly... more The Journal on Education in Emergencies (JEiE) publishes groundbreaking and outstanding scholarly and practitioner work on education in emergencies (EiE), defined broadly as quality learning opportunities for all ages in situations of crisis, including early childhood development, primary, secondary, non-formal, technical, vocation, higher and adult education.
Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi
Contemporary educational policies have recently prioritised the development of generic, core, and... more Contemporary educational policies have recently prioritised the development of generic, core, and transferable skills. This essay reflects on this tendency in the context of the ‘algorithmic condition’ and those discourses that tend toward an image of education that privileges dematerialised skills, practices, and knowledge. It argues that this turn towards dematerialisation is resonant with shifts in a number of diff erent domains, including work, and explores some of the implications of this shift. Instead I suggest an approach to education that understands it as turning towards the world, loving the world, and creating a common world. In order to understanding thinking and knowing as material practices, the concept of ‘material thinking’ is developed that refuses binaries of theory and practice, but that instead understands thinking, particularly in educational contexts, as material and a practice of thinking with something, and a turning towards the world. I draw upon the work o...
Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 2017
This article addresses the way in which the securitisation of education, effected through initiat... more This article addresses the way in which the securitisation of education, effected through initiatives in counter-terrorism such as Prevent, leads to what I call 'pedagogical injustice' for students and teachers. It analyses the implications of the pre-crime agenda in the space of the classroom and draws upon literature on epistemic injustice, communicative injustice and institutional prejudice to explain why bringing counterterrorist legislation into education undermines the educational endeavour. It argues that by re-framing the Prevent agenda in the language of therapy, resilience and well-being, indicators guiding its implementation that might otherwise be seen as illegitimate or even illegal forms of profiling are given credence in the spheres of education and other domains which demand pastoral care from professionals. By targeting ideas instead of focusing on violence, Prevent undermines educators. Foucault describes this kind of blurring of discourses as ubuesque and examines the veneer of legitimacy given when professionals engage in discourses and practices beyond their specific expertise. This new figure is the counter-terrorist educator operating between the spheres of security, psychology and education. To contest this image of education and outline the dangers of this approach, we turn to Arendt's writings on education and her commitment to 'training the imagination to go visiting'.
Studies in Philosophy and Education, 2017
The existential, experiential, ethical, pathic and pre-pathic dimensions of education are essenti... more The existential, experiential, ethical, pathic and pre-pathic dimensions of education are essential for the creative composition of subjectivities in institutional spaces, yet educational research and policy tend increasingly to privilege technical discourses and prescriptive approaches both when evaluating 'what is effective in education' and when determining educational policy. This essay explores those aspects of the educational experience and educational institutions that are often felt and sensed pre-cognitively by students, parents and teachers, but are seldom given further elaboration or articulation in educational research. We will reflect on what is meant by the experience of education and experience in education, including the struggles to make sense of or understand something, the surprises that strike pre-reflectively, and the ways in which such moments are noticed, pursued, and explored rather than reflexively 'evaluated'. We then explore the idea of experimentation in institutions, in particular in relation to the range of concepts that Jean Oury introduces in order to move our attention and awareness to questions of experience, existence, atmosphere, and the pathic-the way in which we undergo, sense and participate in the world prior to cognition and the desire for mastery and control of our encounters. Finally, we address the question of the ethics of institutions.
Deleuze Studies, 2017
The concept of shame is important for Deleuze's ethics and politics. In this essay, shame is ... more The concept of shame is important for Deleuze's ethics and politics. In this essay, shame is positioned within a nexus of concepts: the intolerable, seeing, resistance, powerlessness, and belief in this world. If one has fallen short, it is not because of who one is, how one is seen, or how one has been judged, but it is, in part, because of one's failure to see what is intolerable. In this respect, shame, in particular ‘the shame of the world’, has the potential to be a proto-political and proto-ethical affect because it suspends and precludes the ready invocation of clichés and explanations that buttress us against reality. This disruption in turn opens a space for creativity and resistance.
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2016
The article addresses the implications of Prevent and Channel for epistemic justice. The first se... more The article addresses the implications of Prevent and Channel for epistemic justice. The first section outlines the background of Prevent. It draws upon Moira Gatens and Genevieve Lloyd's concept of the collective imaginary, alongside Lorraine Code's concept of epistemologies of mastery, in order to outline some of the images and imaginaries that inform and orient contemporary counter-terrorist preventative initiatives, in particular those affecting education. Of interest here is the way in which vulnerability (to radicalisation) is conceptualised in Prevent and Channel, in particular the way in which those deemed 'at risk of radicalisation' are constituted as vulnerable and requiring intervention. The imaginary underpinning such preventative initiatives is, I argue, a therapeutic/epidemiological one. If attention is paid to the language associated with these interventions, one finds reference to terms such as contagion, immunity, resilience, grooming, virus, susceptibility, therapy, autonomy, vulnerability and risk-a constellation of images/concepts resonant with therapeutic and epidemiological theories and practices. I outline some of the implications of this therapeutic/epidemiological imaginary for epistemic injustice. If people, in this case, students, teachers and parents, feel that their voice will not be given credence, this leads to testimonial injustice. If one group is constituted as a suspect community, this risks hermeneutical injustice for that group-a situation facing Muslims at present. Given the requirements for educators and educational institutions to enact this particular iteration of preventative counter-terrorist legislation, the way in which vulnerability (to radicalisation) is understood and operationalised has direct bearing upon education and the educational experience of all stakeholders, in particular in relation to the conditions for epistemic justice.
Gender and Education, 2016
As Michèle Le Doeuff pointed out in her classic feminist work, The Philosophical Imaginary, image... more As Michèle Le Doeuff pointed out in her classic feminist work, The Philosophical Imaginary, images function in philosophical writing to enact certain political and theoretical possibilities and limitations. She draws our attention to the relationship between images and concepts throughout the history of philosophy, and philosophy's forgetting and occlusion of its own imaginaries. We wonder with Le Doeuff about the image that philosophy gives to itself of what it is to do philosophy. So too we wonder about the images that orient and inflect both educational practice and research. What images do educational researchers give to themselves of education, the practice of education and of research in education? This issue examines the ways in which diverse educational imaginaries operate. It thinks from and with recent feminist work in both philosophy and education. Feminist educational concerns have often focused on images of relationality, sex/gender differences and queer subjectivities. The essays presented here build on this by examining the ways in which recent feminist and queer theory can both re-inflect such images and generate new ones in order to reframe our attention to what matters in educational theory and practice. The issue is informed by feminist philosophy's recent (re)turns to materialism, embodiment and affect and its renewed engagement with phenomenology, a process that has involved a pronounced shift away from the images of social construction that had informed much feminist work since the 1970s. Such moves contest the privileging of either realism or social construction in educational research by opening up different conceptions of material and relational ontologies that do not fit neatly into either side of that binary, and that can grapple with the complexities of educational research and practice. What also matters here is finding ways both to theorise practice and to practise theory without reducing practice to either 'tips of the trade' exchanged amongst practitioners or the mere application of a set of already worked out ideas. This special issue on shifting education's philosophical imaginaries is therefore an inquiry into how and to what extent those feminist approaches that shift educational practices, theories and structures are (or could be) in turn linked to recent shifts within feminist philosophical thought. We are interested in how philosophical developments can inform a re-imagining of educational concerns, and how educational imaginaries may also open up a different set of questions for contemporary feminist philosophies. We are not concerned with finding strategies to 'import' new philosophical ideas into educational theory and practice, or with simply reading such ideas as something 'external' to the work we do in
British Journal of Educational Studies, 2015
This paper outlines some of the implications of counterterrorist legislation, including Prevent, ... more This paper outlines some of the implications of counterterrorist legislation, including Prevent, for the pedagogical relationship and for educational institutions. The concept of ‘radicalisation’, central to the Prevent Strategy, is one that is contested in the field of counterterrorism, yet educators are now expected to identify and refer students ‘at risk of radicalisation’. Such students are described as vulnerable throughout the policy documentation; however, the way in which vulnerability is conceptualised is resonant with colonial discourses of contagion and immunity, and it risks silencing and even pathologising the person labelled vulnerable. Prevent does not clearly define central concepts such as extremism, radicalisation, vulnerability, and this may make both students and staff fearful speaking freely in classrooms and lecture halls. Based on the experience of teaching IRA and INLA prisoners in the Republic of Ireland, the author outlines a set of philosophical and ethical principles that ought to underpin education. It is argued that education must not be subordinated to security and intelligence agendas on pragmatic, educational and ethical ground
Educational Theory, 2015
It is difficult to respond creatively to humiliation, affliction, degradation, or shame, just as ... more It is difficult to respond creatively to humiliation, affliction, degradation, or shame, just as it is difficult to respond creatively to the experience of undergoing or inflicting violence. In this article Aislinn O'Donnell argues that if we are to think about how to address gun violence-including mass shootings-in schools, then we need to talk about violence inside and outside schools. Honest, and even difficult, conversations about violence and vulnerability can take place in schools, and there are ways of working with curricula and student voice that can allow for this. If pedagogy is to play a role in reorienting responses to violence and vulnerability, discussion of equivocal and ambivalent responses to corporeal vulnerability, and of histories and genealogies of violence, must be invited. We need to acknowledge that we do not have, and we may well never have, a world without violence. Drawing upon the experience of teaching philosophy in nontraditional learning environments, including prison, O'Donnell argues for an approach to pedagogy and curricula that invites difficult conversations about the complexity of violence.
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2015
Over the last decade, there has been a considerable expansion of mindfulness programmes into a nu... more Over the last decade, there has been a considerable expansion of mindfulness programmes into a number of different domains of contemporary life, such as corporations, schools, hospitals and even the military. Understanding the reasons for this phenomenon involves, I argue, reflecting upon the nature of contemporary capitalism and mapping the complexity of navigating new digital technologies that make multiple and accelerated solicitations upon attention and our affective lives. Whilst acknowledging the benefits of mindfulness practice, this article argues that it is equally important to attend to the ethical framework that gives orientation to these practices and the outer conditions that shape lived daily experience, such as school or work environments. I suggest that the well-meaning efforts to secularise mindfulness, provide scientific evidence for its effectiveness, and introduce it to wider publics may have served to impoverish the rich contribution that practices of mindfulness, situated within a broader ethical framework, can make to human lives, and arguably contribute to the educational endeavour. For example, the emphasis on transforming inner conditions of students' lives can lead to the neglect of outer conditions, such as structural inequality, or unhealthy and exploitative work practices. This can result in practices that privilege individual wellbeing over compassion and concern for the happiness of others, providing a buffer against loving attention to the world and others. Instead, I ask how mindfulness in educational settings could come to be viewed in a different light if we reflect upon the ways in which school environments and curricula can promote mindfulness, awareness, sensitive inquiry, and contemplative practices through the day, rather than offering it as a discrete intervention focused on the self and wellbeing.
Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, 2005
Educational Theory, 2013
In this article, Aislinn O'Donnell offers a set of reflections on the relation between therapy an... more In this article, Aislinn O'Donnell offers a set of reflections on the relation between therapy and education. In the first section, she examines criticisms of therapeutic education, mobilizing the example of prison education to highlight the difficulties that arise from imposing prescriptive modes of subjectification and socialization in pedagogy. In the second section, she addresses the relation between therapy and education by focusing on just one element of the experience of education: those moments at which a subject has the potential of becoming significant in the life of a student. An important dimension of the educator's authority involves noticing such moments, fostering the conditions that make them more likely, and engaging in the creative process and practice of deciding how best pedagogically to respond to these moments. In the third section, O'Donnell develops this idea by detailing a philosophical approach and practice that understands ''effectiveness'' in education as bound to practice, creative responsiveness, and the judgment of the educator in concrete, singular pedagogical situations, rather than construed in terms of generic models of ''best practice.'' 1. Christine Winter offered a critique of such initiatives in ''School Humanities and the Pursuit of Democracy: Opening Minds and the Humanities Curriculum Project'' (paper presented at the conference of the Women in the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 2011). 2. Amy Shuffelton, in her essay ''A Matter of Friendship: Educational Interventions into Culture and Poverty'' (in this issue), outlines the potentially problematic outcomes of ostensibly benevolent forms of cultural intervention.
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2014
Failure is seen as a problem in education. From failing schools, to failing students to rankings ... more Failure is seen as a problem in education. From failing schools, to failing students to rankings of universities, literacy or numeracy, the perception that one has failed to compete or to compare favourably with others has led to a series of policy initiatives internationally designed to ensure 'success for all'. But when success is measured in comparison with others or against benchmarks or standards, then it is impossible to see how all could be successful given the parameters laid down. What are the implications of a culture that values success and achievement? How difficult is it to become the kind of individual who is flourishing, autonomous and becomes 'all she can be', in particular under the precarious conditions of contemporary capitalism? Samuel Beckett was sceptical of the quest for progress, production and prestige. His philosophy invites another way of thinking about failure, not as something one is, but rather as something one does: the pain and fear of inadequacy that can mark educational relations and experiences is alleviated by a more renunciative, gentle philosophy of education. There are two interwoven strands in this article. One questions the emphasis on competition and achievement in contemporary education and explores its implications for our relationship to failure. The second, strongly influenced by Beckett, explores ways of reimagining our relationship to failure in such a way that allows us to reflect on what matters in life. DO I ASK TOO MUCH? Our ideas depend on dialogue with others, but it can be easy to forget their origins in those relationships that orient our intellectual lives. The articles by Caroline Wilson, Sharon Todd and Rachel Jones in this Special Issue serve as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging our relational origins and our debt to others, helping us become more attuned to the ways in which the genesis of ideas is often bound up with the lives of others, our interlocutors. This article was born in failure, the failure to have an idea, or bs_bs_banner
Ethics and Education, Nov 1, 2012
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Papers by Aislinn O'Donnell