<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Literature argues that for post-conflict pedagogies to facilitate student engagement across difference it requires emotional engagement with the subject. However, how to achieve such emotional engagement, without falling into the trap of sentimentality, is an area that is under-researched. This paper reflects on conversations with South African students in a final year pre-service teacher-training programme, who developed digital stories as a vehicle for student engagement across difference. Applying ‘critical emotional reflexivity’ (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_csci.80_ref_040">Zembylas 2011</xref>) as an analytical framework, we found that students described the digital storytelling process as opening up different ways of being with/for the ‘Other’ and allowing them to start questioning cherished beliefs and assumptions about the ‘Other’. However, they had difficulties in placing themselves in a bigger historical and sociocultural context. Furthermore, the specific set-up of the project made it difficult to track lasting social change within students, the fourth element of Zembylas’ theoretical framework. Findings also confirmed the potential of digital stories to lead to sentimentality and ‘passive empathy’ (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_csci.80_ref_004">Boler 1999</xref>), characterised by pity from the part of the privileged observer and resentment from the subjugated storyteller. We recommend adding a historical-political analysis of previous students’ stories to the digital storytelling process in order to help students deconstruct positions premised on the existence of clearly differentiated identities and to consciously create spaces where a reflection on the emotions students encountered while sharing and listening to their stories can be facilitated.</p></abstract>

Literature argues that for post-conflict pedagogies to facilitate student engagement across difference it requires emotional engagement with the subject. However, how to achieve such emotional engagement, without falling into the trap of sentimentality, is an area that is under-researched. This paper reflects on conversations with South African students in a final year pre-service teacher-training programme, who developed digital stories as a vehicle for student engagement across difference. Applying ‘critical emotional reflexivity’ (Zembylas 2011) as an analytical framework, we found that students described the digital storytelling process as opening up different ways of being with/for the ‘Other’ and allowing them to start questioning cherished beliefs and assumptions about the ‘Other’. However, they had difficulties in placing themselves in a bigger historical and sociocultural context. Furthermore, the specific set-up of the project made it difficult to track lasting social change within students, the fourth element of Zembylas’ theoretical framework. Findings also confirmed the potential of digital stories to lead to sentimentality and ‘passive empathy’ (Boler 1999), characterised by pity from the part of the privileged observer and resentment from the subjugated storyteller. We recommend adding a historical-political analysis of previous students’ stories to the digital storytelling process in order to help students deconstruct positions premised on the existence of clearly differentiated identities and to consciously create spaces where a reflection on the emotions students encountered while sharing and listening to their stories can be facilitated.

Owning your emotions or sentimental navel-gazing: <italic>Digital storytelling with South African pre-service student educators</italic>

Cultural Science Journal

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Owning your emotions or sentimental navel-gazing: 

Literature argues that for post-conflict pedagogies to facilitate student engagement across difference it requires emotional engagement with the subject....

Race	n	%
Black	11	20%
Coloured We are following the South African Department of Education racial categorization distinguishing between African, Coloured, Indian and White students, highly contested, but still widely used (Department of Education 1997). In South African the term ‘Coloured’ does not have the same connotations as it has in the US or in the UK. The term ‘Coloured’ in South Africa in general refers to any person of ‘mixed-race’. In and around Cape Town, where this is study is set, Coloured stands for ‘Cape Coloured’ and is used for descendants of the many slaves that were brought in from the Dutch East Indies.	30	55%
White	14	25%
Total	55
Language
English	35	64%
Afrikaans	9	16%
isiXhosa	11	20%
Total	55
Gender
Male	17	31%
Female	38	69%
Total	55

Owning your emotions or sentimental navel-gazing: Digital storytelling with South African pre-service student educators

Publié en ligne: 31 oct. 2015

Pages: 22 - 42

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.80

Mots clés
digital storytelling, digital stories, critical emotional reflexivity, emotions, sentimentality, empathy, South Africa, Higher Education

© 2015 Daniela Gachago, Eunice Ivala, Agnes Chigona, Janet Condy, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Images 1-3

Images 4-6

Images 7-9

Students’ racial, linguistic and gender background

Owning your emotions or sentimental navel-gazing: Digital storytelling with South African pre-service student educators

Publié en ligne: 31 oct. 2015

Pages: 22 - 42

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.80

Mots clésdigital storytelling, digital stories, critical emotional reflexivity, emotions, sentimentality, empathy, South Africa, Higher Education

© 2015 Daniela Gachago, Eunice Ivala, Agnes Chigona, Janet Condy, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Images 1-3

Images 4-6

Images 7-9

Students’ racial, linguistic and gender background

Mots clés
digital storytelling, digital stories, critical emotional reflexivity, emotions, sentimentality, empathy, South Africa, Higher Education