Recycling Piaget: Posthumanism and making children’s knowledge matter

Abstract

A growing body of research incorporates children’s perspectives into the research process. If we are to take children’s perspectives seriously in education research, research methodologies must be capable of addressing issues that matter to children. This article engages in a theoretical discussion that considers how a posthuman research methodology can support such an effort. Piaget’s early and lesser known qualitative studies on children’s conception of the world are re-read along with Karen Barad’s posthuman theory, using Catherine Malabou’s concept of plasticity. Through a plastic reading of Piaget and Barad, I consider how a posthuman theoretical framework might contribute to research seeking to access children’s perspectives. Before concluding, I reflect on some ethical concerns regarding posthuman research in education.

Keywords:

• Posthumanism
• Piaget
• onto-epistemology
• children’s perspectives
• Karen Barad
• plasticity

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Teresa K. Aslanian

Teresa K. Aslanian is a PhD candidate in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education at the Department of Early Childhood Education at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. Her research is concerned with re-theorizing care and love as a professional practice in early childhood education through critical and new materialist/post human theory. Earlier publications include Getting behind discourses of love, care and maternalism in early childhood education (Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education, 2015:16).