Education in 'Evil'

Cathryn van Kessel is Assistant Professor in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta, Canada. As a researcher, a former secondary school teacher, and a current educator of pre-service teachers, her work seeks to blend educational theory and practice in provoking ways, particularly in relation to philosophy and social psychology.

“This book is a great choice for anyone looking for a new way to think about ethical dilemmas and hard conversations as they exist in the classroom and in schooling more generally. … This book is a forceful read that adds a new perspective to educational theory and practice.” (Victoria Davis Smith, Theory & Research in Social Education, January 22, 2020)“A unique and valuable apparatus that can help educators and students reconceptualize evil as being a perpetually developing and creative force. … elementary school educators could benefit from the identification of theories and concepts that could serve as starting points for discussion with younger students.” (Bretton A. Varga, The Journal of Social Studies Research, Vol. 43 (4), October, 2019)

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Evil is in the Eye of the Beholder.- 3. Banal Evil and Social Studies Education.- 4. Processes of Evil as a Supplement to Citizenship Education.- 5. The Politics of Evil.- 6. Symbolic Evil and the Schooling System.- 7. Evil, Existential Terror, and Classroom Climate.- 8. Epilogue.-