My article, “Beautiful Dark Twisted Pedagogy: Kanye West and the Lessons of Participatory Culture,” is now available in the most recent issue of Radical Teacher. It can be read here. Here’s an abstract:
This article builds off of the author’s classroom experience as a high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles and looks at how cultural shifts with regards to media consumption and production impact liberatory pedagogical practice. Using media superstar Kanye West as a case study, this article argues that today’s classroom practices must expand in ways that reflect a more participatory culture. In particular, West’s marketing and engagement with his audience during the release of his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy highlight how mainstream media practices offer pathways for renewing critical pedagogy in the 21st century.
This article started as a series of rumblings and throat-clearing on this blog here and here and here. I owe thanks to many of you for helping to continue this conversation with me online and at conferences. As I briefly mention as a footnote here, I am intrigued by West’s latest musical direction (even if he cancelled his recent show in Denver, effectively killing our Sunday night plans). I hope to continue to push on contemporary notions of critical pedagogy through looking to what’s happening in popular culture.