Papers by Elias Schwieler
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2022
The essay develops the notion of disruptive pedagogy as a response to conservative and traditiona... more The essay develops the notion of disruptive pedagogy as a response to conservative and traditional education and its emphasis on Cartesian rationality, which consistently devalues and undermines the body as a modality of language. The hegemony of rationality, it is argued, also informs the discourse of critical thinking in higher education, which means that its dominance works to feed the already unequal power relations within education, which is exemplified by the ableism exposed in an authentic pedagogical situation. Through a critical reading of Jacques Rancière's philosophy, the authors attempt to counteract and disrupt said hegemony by suggesting the necessity of the senses and the body to reimagine the critical and critical thinking from within the often uncomfortable disruptive pedagogical moments in which, for example, perceived ableism and disability clash.
Popular Communication The International Journal of Media and Culture, 2020
The essay outlines an alternative model of Bildung, which the authors call an evolving Bildung. T... more The essay outlines an alternative model of Bildung, which the authors call an evolving Bildung. Their argument for taking this perspective on Bildung builds on Heidegger's thinking concerning technology and his notion of a step back out of metaphysics and into a thinking of what is essential in technology. Moreover, departing from both Gadamer's and Heidegger's thinking the authors analyze how streaming media as art as well as art within streaming media can contribute to develop the notion of an evolving Bildung. The authors, furthermore, use Spotify as an example of a streaming medium which has the possibility to change the way art is experienced, and also how an evolving Bildung can develop education into an authentic human engagement with what can be called the Other, in the broad sense of this term, and so away from instrumentalism and calculative thinking.
In this speculative and theoretical analysis focused on Heidegger's thought of the " Turn, " writ... more In this speculative and theoretical analysis focused on Heidegger's thought of the " Turn, " written for students of philosophy and philosophy of education, we adopt a phenomenological-hermeneutic method of research grounded in " textual analysis, " the findings of which propose an alternative mode of " meditative " inquiry related to a renewed relationship to Being and its unfolding that outstrips the technical-scientific research and " calculative " thinking regimes that govern education on all levels today. We conclude that this re-conceived view of learning has crucial implications for understanding the human being in terms that are other than behavioral subject, neural-cognitive processing unit, or " technological " resource for manipulation and exploitation. Reading Heidegger's later works, our research introduces the various uses and meanings of Ge-stell as found in " The Question Concerning Technology " and " The Origin of the Work of Art. " We indicate how the former use of Ge-stell relates to contemporary standardized education (Social Efficiency) and then move to consider what Heidegger says about " reflective " thought in " The Age of the World Picture, " which underpins our interpretation of the ideas in Basic Concepts and Discourse on Thinking as related to " meditative " thinking and Dasein's relationship to Being as educative event, or Dasein's " conversion through conversation. " Authentic education, we suggest, instantiates an originary form of inquiry that finds its home-ground and foundation (Grund und Boden)-in the nature of Being, in the counter-striving phenomenon of concealement and unconcealment, which calls for our releasement (Gelassenheit) and openness to the mystery (Offenheit für das Geheimnis) inherent in all things.
In this article, using a posthumanist and Deleuzian vocabulary, we problematize the anthropocentr... more In this article, using a posthumanist and Deleuzian vocabulary, we problematize the anthropocentric approach within communication theory that at present is setting the theoretical ground for environmental communication. We argue that 'anthropocentrism' has caused humans to situate humanity at the top of an assumed environmental hierarchy. Consequently, humanity has given itself the right to interpret the world according to its own standard. This, in turn, has consequences for what is called the environment, including its marginalization and exploitation.
International Journal for Academic Development, 2011
The effects of teachers’ normative values and emotive reactions on teaching in higher education h... more The effects of teachers’ normative values and emotive reactions on teaching in higher education have received relatively little research attention. The focus is often on descriptive beliefs such as conceptions of teaching and their inter‐relations with practice. In this study, which is illustrated by a heuristic model, a belief system approach is used in which normative values and emotions are
Joseph Conrad’s ‘The secret sharer’ has often been associated with what can be called initiation ... more Joseph Conrad’s ‘The secret sharer’ has often been associated with what can be called initiation stories. However, in this article I argue that Conrad’s text is more than that. It can, I suggest, be read as an allegory of the inaccessibility to reveal the essence of being in command, being in education, and also the inaccessibility of the essence of the meaning of the text itself. It keeps its secret by allegorically staging alternative readings. This inaccessibility gives rise to a feeling of strangeness, of the uncanny, that must be faced in order to pass through the initiation into the unknown that all the possible allegorical meanings of the text produce. In other words, ‘The secret sharer’ has an educational value that goes beyond the act of merely using it to exemplify a certain type of initiation. In this way I connect Conrad’s text to the themes of strangeness and the stranger and show how they mutually can involve a reading of education and literature as two distinct discourses of learning.
In this article it is argued that students can gain a better understanding of both inter- and int... more In this article it is argued that students can gain a better understanding of both inter- and intra-disciplinary boundaries by inquiring into a single salient point where two disciplines may only partially intersect. Building on Marton's variation theory and Vygotsky's notion of articulation, a teaching model is presented and exemplified by disciplinary intersections regarding narration and narrativity in Literature and History. This is done specifically by investigating the theoretical implications of Shoshana Felman's notion of “key narratives” using William Faulkner's novel Absalom, Absalom!. The “key narrative” concept is adapted for the specific purpose of analyzing the practice of narratives in the disciplines Literature and History, respectively. It is suggested that Faulkner's novel seen as such a narrative explores pertinent questions concerning disciplinary boundaries for graduate and post-graduate students with a developed disciplinary identity in either of these disciplines.
In this speculative and theoretical analysis, we adopt a phenomenological-hermeneutic method of r... more In this speculative and theoretical analysis, we adopt a phenomenological-hermeneutic method of research grounded in “textual analysis,” the findings of which propose an alternative mode of “meditative” inquiry related to a renewed relationship to Being and its unfolding that outstrips the technical-scientific research and “calculative” thinking regimes that govern education on all levels today. We conclude that this re-conceived view of learning has crucial implications for understanding the human being in terms that are other than behavioral subject, neural-cognitive processing unit, or “technological” resource for manipulation and exploitation. Reading Heidegger’s later works, our research introduces the various uses and meanings of Ge-stell as found in “The Question Concerning Technology” and “The Origin of the Work of Art.” We indicate how the former use of Ge-stell relates to contemporary standardized education (Social Efficiency) and then move to consider what Heidegger says about “reflective” thought in “The Age of the World Picture,” which underpins our interpretation of the ideas in Basic Concepts and Discourse on Thinking as related to “meditative” thinking and Dasein’s relationship to Being as educative event, or Dasein’s “conversion through conversation.” Authentic education, we suggest, instantiates an originary form of inquiry that finds its home – ground and foundation (Grund und Boden) – in the nature of Being, in the counter-striving phenomenon of concealement and unconcealment, which calls for our releasement (Gelassenheit) and openness to the mystery (Offenheit für das Geheimnis) inherent in all things. pp. 7–37
There is no meaning, of course, only a profound and inexplicable significance; why is that not en... more There is no meaning, of course, only a profound and inexplicable significance; why is that not enough for me? (John Banville, Ghosts, p. 95) For Heidegger, translation and interpretation are intimately related. Translation is not the simple transference of meaning from one language to another, but involves an act of authentic thinking, or reflection. The word Heidegger uses to designate reflection, for example in Basic Concepts (1998;, is Besinnung, which has the sense of being thoughtful, thinking through, remembering, and also calming down, and even regaining consciousness. And the kind of thinking or reflection Heidegger has in mind always tries to create something new, or other.
This paper will highlight post-colonialism and teaching by looking closer at Michael Ondaatje's n... more This paper will highlight post-colonialism and teaching by looking closer at Michael Ondaatje's novel The English Patient, Foucault's notion of heterotopia, and Carl Schmitt's political theory. This might seem somewhat farfetched, but perhaps not. Let's start with the kind of questions that could be asked. For example: What is the relation between colonialism and teaching? Between colonialism and knowledge? The word colony, from Latin colere, means to till, to cultivate, or inhabit. From the same Indo-European root, kwel-, that gives culture.
Skrifter från moderna språk 9 Institutionen för moderna språk Umeå universitet 2003 Umeå universi... more Skrifter från moderna språk 9 Institutionen för moderna språk Umeå universitet 2003 Umeå universitet SE-901 87 Umeå universitet Tfn. +46 90 786 51 38 Fax. +46 90 786 60 23
Books by Elias Schwieler
Description: Offering new and original readings of literature, poetry, and education as interpret... more Description: Offering new and original readings of literature, poetry, and education as interpreted through the conceptual lens of Heidegger's later philosophy of the "Turn", this book helps readers understand Heidegger's later thought and presents new takes on how to engage the themes that emerged from his later writing. Suggesting novel ways to consider Heidegger's ideas on literature, poetry, and education, Magrini and Schwieler provide a deep understanding of the "Turn," a topic not often explored in contemporary Heideggerian scholarship. Their inter-and extra-disciplinary postmodern approaches offer a nuanced examination, taking into account Heidegger's controversial place in history, and filling a gap in educational research.
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Papers by Elias Schwieler
Books by Elias Schwieler