The papers included in this symposium proposal revolve around a shared concern with the concept of crisis—its nature, temporality, and implications for educational theory and pedagogical practice, and with the role crisis can and cannot play within the context of a (post)critical pedagogy.

Taken together, the three papers illuminate crisis as both a theoretical construct and a practical issue in educational contexts. Each explores a distinctive facet of the term, yet they converge in challenging the conventional understanding of crisis as a purely disruptive or negative phenomenon. Instead, they collectively advocate for nuanced interpretations that consider crisis as an opportunity for reflection, transformation, and even affirmation.

At the heart of these discussions is the tension between continuity and rupture, progress and stagnation, critique and affirmation. The papers examine how educational theory and practice can navigate these dynamics, using crisis as a lens to question dominant paradigms, reevaluate the role of critique, and reconsider the temporalities underpinning pedagogical approaches.

The three papers want to challenge linear and reductive interpretations of crisis in education. A first central goal of this symposium is  to rethink the temporality of crisis. This is, how can we think in fresh ways about crisis and education, if we take crisis not merely as a transitional phase but as a condition with its own pedagogical and transformative potential? A second aim is to deal with the limitations of traditional critical approaches to crisis: should we resist a return to the idea linear progress (which informs so much of critical pedagogy) or should we move beyond critique to propose an entirely affirmative stance towards education? A third goal is to think about how such discussion may enter into shaping educational theory and practice  - with a special attention for how education in the arts can inspire us when rethinking the educational meaning of crisis.

Together, these papers offer a multifaceted exploration of crisis as a concept that defies easy categorization. They challenge educators and theorists to reconsider how crisis is conceptualized, engaged with, and utilized in pedagogical contexts. Far from advocating a single unified approach, they underscore the complexity of crisis as both a theoretical construct and a lived experience. By bridging critical, post-critical, and artistic perspectives, the papers suggest that crisis, when approached thoughtfully, can serve as a powerful catalyst for reflection, transformation, and renewal in education.

See individual contributions