Affective Dynamics in Educational Governance

Summary

Affective dynamics in educational governance examines how emotions, sentiments and intensities shape the design, implementation and reception of policies and practices within education systems. This field draws on the affective turn in social theory to reveal the ways in which feelings circulate among policy-makers, school leaders, teachers, students and communities. By attending to atmospheres, emotional labour and affective economies, scholars demonstrate that governance is never a purely rational exercise but is continually animated by hope, anxiety, attachment and resistance. Such dynamics influence stakeholder engagement, policy legitimacy and the capacity for reform, with implications for equity, intercultural dialogue and decolonial approaches. Understanding these processes offers practical avenues for crafting governance frameworks that harness positive emotional climates, address affective inequalities and nurture inclusive educational change on a global scale.

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Affective Dynamics in Educational Governance publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in affective dynamics in educational governance across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Affective dynamics: The patterns and flows of emotions and intensities within governance processes.

Governance: The systems and practices through which educational policies are designed, implemented and regulated.

Affect: Preconscious bodily and emotional responses that shape individual and collective experiences.

Posthuman sensorium: A conceptual framework treating environments and objects as active participants in shaping affective experiences.

Emancipatory governance: Approaches to governance aimed at fostering reflective, liberatory practices that empower stakeholders.

Intercultural dialogue: Collaborative exchange of knowledge and experiences across cultural contexts to promote mutual understanding.

References

  1. Indigenous socio-educational recognition in the construction of intercultural knowledge dialogues in education. Cogent Education (2024).
  2. Designing leadership chairs: Experiments with affirmative critique of leadership and environmentality. Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methodology (2016).
  3. Gobernanza educativa desde la política pública hasta el aula de clase en una perspectiva crítica y emancipatoria. Revista Insignare Scientia - RIS (2022).

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