Affective engagement for antiracist education in Nordic schools

Abstract
Research topic/aim

This paper explores how affective engagement can be mobilized to support antiracist education in Nordic schools, where such efforts remain limited (Clarke & Vertelyté, 2023). In contrast, California has introduced several initiatives, including a statewide requirement for Ethnic Studies (ES) courses in high schools. We ask whether the “affective ideology” (Peters & Protevi, 2017; Zembylas, 2022, 2023) underpinning California’s ES legislation and model curriculum might inspire Nordic approaches to social justice and diversity in education.


Theoretical framework

We build on Nordic educational scholars such as Eriksen (2022) and Staunæs and Vertelyté (2025), who emphasize the role of affect and emotional tensions in antiracist pedagogy. We combine affect theory with educational policy research using the term “affective ideology” (Peters & Protevi, 2017; Zembylas, 2022, 2023). The term unfolds how policy is both shaped by and seeks to appeal to affect and emotions.


Methodology/research design

Using the framework of affective ideology, we analyze California’s ES legislation (AB101) and model curriculum (CDE, 2021), asking what “affective investments are hoped to be returned” (Ahmed, 2004, p. 184) by the ES teachers. These insights are discussed in relation to the Nordic educational context, where race and racism are often silenced.


Expected findings

While direct policy transfer is rarely appropriate (Bereday, 1964), Nordic educators and policymakers may learn from the affective demands placed on ES teachers in California. These include confronting personal biases, fostering inclusive classrooms, and cultivating student agency. Such practices exemplify the deep affective engagement required to create meaningful antiracist education.


Relevance to Nordic educational research

The ES legislation of California is a way of pointing at affective engagement as a crucial element that can inspire antiracist efforts in Nordic race-evasive schools.



References:

AB101 (2021, October 11). Pupil instruction: high school graduation requirements: Ethnic studies. Retrieved from, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB101 September 21, 2022

Ahmed, S. (2004). The cultural politics of emotion (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press.

Bereday, G. Z. F. (1964). Comparative method in education. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.

Clarke, K., & Vertelyté, M. (2023). Educational challenges for Nordic exceptionalism: Epistemic injustice in the absence of antiracist education. In E. L. Engebretsen & M. Liinason (Eds.), Transforming Identities in Contemporary Europe: Critical Essays on Knowledge, Inequality and Belonging (pp. 33–50). Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003245155-3

California Department of Education (CDE) (2021). Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum webpage. Retrieved from: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/ethnicstudiespdr.asp, October 10, 2024.

Eriksen, K. G. (2022). Discomforting presence in the classroom: The affective technologies of race, racism and whiteness. Whiteness and Education, 7(1), (s. 58–77).

Staunæs, D., & Vertelyté, M. (2025). Towards pedagogies of affective dissonance for intergenerational listening and un/learning. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2025.2515025

Zembylas, M. (2022). Affective ideology and education policy: Implications for critical policy research and practice. Journal of Education Policy, 37(4), (pp. 511–526). https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2020.1861339

Zembylas, M. (2023). Theorizing “affective infrastructure” in education policy: articulating new political imaginaries for a more equitable future. Journal of Education Policy, 38(6), 944–962. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2022.2157048