Many of us studying civic engagement and public discourses in Europe and North America are grappling with the emergence of radically increased “affective polarization,” a phenomenon that is central to a relatively recent shift in political and social life, one marked by ideological dogmatism, hyperpartisan identifications, the spread of post-truth, and the rise of deep oppositional antagonisms among the populace. This paper offers the outlines of a pedagogical framework to help teachers of art and humanities courses better understand how to critique and intervene in moments of affective polarization with their students. Drawing conceptually on recent public sphere theories by Patricia Roberts-Miller and Robert Asen, as well as on theories of affective polarization by Shanto Iyengar, James Druckman, and Matt Levendusky, the paper provides models of critical media analysis and digital participation in public discourses--models designed to reveal and counteract the workings of affective polarization, particularly those made mundane and invisible in and by mass media. With its narrowed scope on intervening in mass media discourses, the paper provides an opening for a deeper examination of how public discourses are being shaped by algorithmic and material conditions of social life, as well as for an interdisciplinary discussion among arts and humanities scholars of our shared responsibilities–and opportunities–for critiquing and shaping culture in productive ways, both within and beyond higher education.

Authors:
P. Darin Payne, University of Hawaii, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr P. Darin Payne is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University of Hawaii in United States

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