Dissens and Sensibility: Why Art Matters in Education

An introduction to pedagogy of dissensus.

A pedagogy of dissensus is informed by the dissensual characteristics of art. The book includes both theoretical foundations and examples of how the theory is unfolded in different contexts ranging from educational practice to arts-based research. Motivated by the author’s long-held interest in the role of art in society in general and education in particular, it is a vital new contribution to arts-based approaches to education.

Referencing philosophers and theorists such as Jacques Rancière, Gert Biesta, Dennis Atkinson, and Helga Eng, Lisbet Skregelid demonstrates why art matters because of its ability to create necessary disturbance and resistance in education. In this book, she argues that art has something to offer education because it challenges existing norms, has no definitive answers, and contributes to new ways of seeing both oneself, others, and one’s surroundings. Placing art at the center and enabling dissensus in education can contribute as a contrast to the dominating policy led by economic ambition and competition.

Lisbet Skregelid is professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Agder, Norway.