Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care
In this paper, I explore the concept of vulnerability as a cornerstone of caring and compassionate pedagogies in higher education. Drawing on recent feminist thought, I examine how relational pedagogies and ontologies of care can challenge the marketised conceptualisation of student−teacher relatio...
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Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1349 |
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| author | Timothy J. Huzar |
| author_facet | Timothy J. Huzar |
| author_sort | Timothy J. Huzar |
| collection | DOAJ |
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In this paper, I explore the concept of vulnerability as a cornerstone of caring and compassionate pedagogies in higher education. Drawing on recent feminist thought, I examine how relational pedagogies and ontologies of care can challenge the marketised conceptualisation of student−teacher relationships. I argue that practising vulnerability, when understood non-instrumentally, has the potential to foster more emancipatory classroom environments. I critically engage with the notion of vulnerability, positioning it as a practice of trust and an assumption of intellectual equality. I contend that vulnerability resists instrumentalisation and instead attends to students in their specificity. I reflect on my experiences of practising vulnerability in teaching, emphasising modest yet effective approaches that acknowledge intellectual limits and speak from situated standpoints.
Whilst recognising the risks associated with vulnerable pedagogies, particularly for marginalised individuals and precarious staff, I maintain that some degree of vulnerability should be central to caring pedagogies. I argue that practising vulnerability can rebuild trust between students and teachers, even in challenging material conditions. Ultimately, I posit that practising vulnerability, though often a modest gesture, has the power to maintain liberatory spaces in universities. I conclude by asserting that this approach can keep alive ways of imagining teaching and learning as a celebration of situated, everyday practices of care, fostering emancipatory learning communities.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a6df0420c504ef9abe7d65771e78fa3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1759-667X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a6df0420c504ef9abe7d65771e78fa32025-08-20T02:49:23ZengAssociation for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education1759-667X2025-03-013510.47408/jldhe.vi35.1349Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of careTimothy J. Huzar0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6836-8547King's College London In this paper, I explore the concept of vulnerability as a cornerstone of caring and compassionate pedagogies in higher education. Drawing on recent feminist thought, I examine how relational pedagogies and ontologies of care can challenge the marketised conceptualisation of student−teacher relationships. I argue that practising vulnerability, when understood non-instrumentally, has the potential to foster more emancipatory classroom environments. I critically engage with the notion of vulnerability, positioning it as a practice of trust and an assumption of intellectual equality. I contend that vulnerability resists instrumentalisation and instead attends to students in their specificity. I reflect on my experiences of practising vulnerability in teaching, emphasising modest yet effective approaches that acknowledge intellectual limits and speak from situated standpoints. Whilst recognising the risks associated with vulnerable pedagogies, particularly for marginalised individuals and precarious staff, I maintain that some degree of vulnerability should be central to caring pedagogies. I argue that practising vulnerability can rebuild trust between students and teachers, even in challenging material conditions. Ultimately, I posit that practising vulnerability, though often a modest gesture, has the power to maintain liberatory spaces in universities. I conclude by asserting that this approach can keep alive ways of imagining teaching and learning as a celebration of situated, everyday practices of care, fostering emancipatory learning communities. https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1349relational ontologyfeminist care ethicshigher education marketisationintellectual equalitystudent-teacher trustvulnerable pedagogy |
| spellingShingle | Timothy J. Huzar Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education relational ontology feminist care ethics higher education marketisation intellectual equality student-teacher trust vulnerable pedagogy |
| title | Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care |
| title_full | Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care |
| title_fullStr | Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care |
| title_short | Practising vulnerability; presuming equality: towards a pedagogy of care |
| title_sort | practising vulnerability presuming equality towards a pedagogy of care |
| topic | relational ontology feminist care ethics higher education marketisation intellectual equality student-teacher trust vulnerable pedagogy |
| url | https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1349 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT timothyjhuzar practisingvulnerabilitypresumingequalitytowardsapedagogyofcare |