EMOTIONAL AND AFFECTIVE TERRITORIES IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT: REIMAGINING EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA
Summary
This thesis brings a perspective of emotions and education and explores how affect can be
incorporated as a form of pedagogy. Specifically this research focuses on the emotional
epistemologies of the students as they inform social dynamics and relations of
power/knowledge, are sites of resistance and represent another form of knowledge coming
from affects and emotions that are being and becoming critical. I build upon pedagogical
situations I experienced working in public and private schools in Bogotá, Colombia to
interrogate biopolitical and disciplinary practices in pedagogy and to propose and reimagine a
Decolonial/Feminist and Commoning pedagogy that involves collective and collaborative
learnings that de-center the production of knowledge from the teacher and center curiosity
and emotions as crucial points of departure for transformative learnings. I draw on two
interviews I conducted with two scholar-artists and educators that are engaged in alternative
pedagogies aiming to bring a perspective of the Commons and affective pedagogies that serve
as counter points to a neoliberal and knowledge economy logic in education. While
examining the different approaches I addressed in this research project, I have aimed to
contribute to the interdisciplinary field of education bringing a perspective about affect and
emotion and opening new possibilities for theory and research. Also to raise discussions and
to invite further engagement on thinking about alternative pedagogies in school contexts.