DR. ED
BROCKENBROUGH

Title:  A Pedagogy of the Closet

 

Description:  How can educators create supportive classroom environments for Black queer youth amidst the intensified surveillance of race and queerness in schools? Drawing on a conceptualization of the closet as shifting degrees of queer visibility and invisibility, I pose a pedagogy of the closet as a possible set of maneuvers for discreetly and strategically delivering queer-inclusive curricula in secondary schools to Black queer youth and other LGBTQ+ students. Beyond symbolizing the site of queer secrecy and despair, the closet, I contend, may afford varying levels of student exposure to queer content while providing some cover for teachers from political and professional backlash. This presentation will define a pedagogy of the closet and offer examples of its implementation.

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JANUARY 22, 2025