Epistemic Courage and Transformative Literary Instruction
Toward a Pedagogy of Democratic Capability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3384/confero.6310Keywords:
epistemic courage, transformative education, literature, L1, curriculum, democracyAbstract
This essay explores the concept of epistemic courage and examines its relevance to high school education, with a particular focus on literature instruction. Epistemic courage refers to the willingness to adopt beliefs in the absence of complete verification or universal consensus, while dialogical courage represents the communicative extension of this disposition—the readiness to articulate one’s beliefs in dialogue with others. Together, these forms of courage encompass the capacity to seek, embrace, and express knowledge and belief—an essential democratic ability, particularly in politically turbulent times.The essay relates epistemic and dialogical courage to literature education, with the aim of contributing to a theoretical dialogue about the role of positive epistemology and the development of strategies to activate student engagement in Swedish high schools. The author has a background as a high school teacher and as a supervisor in teacher education. These experiences have informed the exploratory arguments presented in this essay, which are intended to stimulate discussion among both fellow researchers and practitioners. The article situates epistemic and dialogical courage within the framework of transformative literature education, with the aim of contributing to an ongoing theoretical dialogue about the role of positive epistemology and the development of strategies to activate student engagement in low-energy, reticent, or overly conformist learning environments.
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