Emotional and affective territories in the school context: reimagining educational practices in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract: 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