SUBJUGATED KNOWLEDGE AND THE POTENTIAL TO FOSTER CHANGES IN STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS HISTORY AND THEIR WORLD VIEW: A CASE STUDY IN AN AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS

Abstract

The concept of subjugated knowledge suggested by Foucault (1980) has been rigorously studied and applied by educators and scholars across disciplines in an effort to devise a transformative education approach that embraces multifaceted nature of knowledge, and simultaneously challenge the authority of the dominant epistemology. This paper presents the preliminary results of an experimental study in an American History class, in which subjugated knowledge is incorporated with an attempt to enable students to ‘think differently’ and to question the reality constructed in mainstream history textbooks. Findings reveal that regardless of the initial difficulties in familiarizing themselves with the concept and the practice, students are enthusiastically engaged throughout the process and signs of changes (though still modest) have been identified in the analysis of their final papers.