Misinformation and Its Discontents: Critical Pedagogy and the Challenges of Islamophobia

In this chapter I examine the ways in which Islamophobia (the fear and hatred of Islam/Muslims) has become reified since 9/11 and I discuss the implications of this for teachers and students. Using a critical pedagogical lens and the work of Paulo Freire, I question how much teachers are encouraged to unpack their assumptions about “others”, think about hierarchies, and question the ways that structural inequity is continually normalized and reproduced. Taking a cultural studies approach (examining both formal and informal educational spaces/texts) I present for analysis both theoretical arguments and personal anecdotes (as one of “them”, the “other”). My intention in this chapter is to push back against both Islamophobia and the wider logic of instrumental rationality.