The affective dimension of everyday resistance: implications for critical pedagogy in engaging with neoliberalism’s educational impact

Abstract

ABSTRACT The main objective of this article is to discuss the affective dimension of resistance in critical pedagogy in a way that would recognize neoliberalism’s affective repercussions. The point is not merely to show that affect is involved in the emergence of resistance in critical pedagogy, but rather to expand the articulation of resistance in neoliberal education through the lens of affect theory. Specifically, the paper theorizes how critical pedagogy can cultivate ‘everyday’ or ‘invisible’ acts of resistance that constitute forms of ‘counter-conduct’ in ways that acknowledge, engage with, and further enhance teachers’ and students’ critical engagement with the affective aspects of resistance and neoliberalism. It is argued that the call for a critical pedagogy to acknowledge the affective dimension of resistance marks an important and necessary moment that allows critical pedagogy to be further enriched in attempts to address the challenges faced by teachers and students in neoliberal education.