The Learning Sciences in a New Era of U.S. Nationalism

ABSTRACT

What responsibilities do researchers of learning have in the wake of Trump's election and the proliferation of far-right, populist nationalism across the globe? In this essay, we seek to prompt and engage a dialogue about the political role and responsibilities of our field at this historical moment. First, we situate the social hierarchies that were most pronounced during this election within a longer history of U.S. policies and practices. We then examine the ostensible division between research on learning and the political contexts and consequences of learning. We argue for the need to address this false chasm and build on scholarship that has demonstrated the inextricable links among learning, power, and politics. We conclude by exploring how research on learning might more meaningfully engage with the political dimensions of learning through teaching, engaged research, publishing, professional forums, and service.

Acknowledgments

We thank the following colleagues for reading early drafts of this manuscript and for providing valuable suggestions, comments, and critiques: Margaret Eisenhart, Ayush Gupta, Kris Gutiérrez, Ilana Horn, Allan Luke, Ananda Marin, Doug Medin, Rebecca Neri, Maria C. Olivares-Pasillas, Joshua Radinsky, Maxine McKinney de Royston, Laurie Rubel, Kathy Schultz, Edd Taylor, and Beth Warren.

Notes

1. One metric for the international reach of journals is the location of the authors' institutions. For all articles published between 2011 and 2016 in Cognition and Instruction, the corresponding authors were located in the following countries: United States: 55; European Union: 15; Israel: 6; Canada: 2; Norway: 1; and Hong Kong: 1. These data speak to an absence of voices from the Global South and other regions of the world.