ARTS Education as a Tool for Social Justice

Arts Education as a Tool for Social Justice 

          by Janice Mautner Markham, April 3, 2022

Positivist/Quantitative study:

Ploof, J. ; Hochtritt, L. R. (2018) Practicing Social Justice Art Education (PSJAE): Reclaiming Our Agency Through Collective Curriculum, Routledge, Art education (Reston), 2018-01-02, Vol.71 (1), p.38-44

The nature of art and creativity is often antithetical to set norms, guidelines and predispositions, and the arts seem to live comfortably in the world of qualitative study. However, it is worthwhile exploring different types of frameworks and the impact a more positivist/quantitative study can have on the cross sections of arts, activism and social justice. 

To define our terms: “Positivism relies on the hypothetico-deductive method to verify a priori hypotheses that are often stated quantitatively, where functional relationships can be derived between causal and explanatory factors (independent variables) and outcomes (dependent variables).”1 So, in effect, there is the ideal that we are beginning with a formula at hand, with some type of result with a certain degree of prior litmus testing. 

It is not necessarily the case that positivism is synonymous with pure numbers and graphs, and this is where the gray area and convergence can be applied. This type of crossover, even in terms of these seemingly disparate methodologies, that of positivist/interpretivist, makes it more palatable to even begin to put the research in its perspective boxes. “Positivist research, however, does not always rely on quantitative methods. For example, an experimental study examining the effects of an intervention through qualitative analysis fits within the positivist paradigm.”2

As noted above, the study, “Practicing Social Justice Art Education: Reclaiming Our Agency Through Collective Curriculum” is a prime example of research that incorporates some qualitative analysis, but fits into the positivist paradigm of research methodology, as there are certain hypotheses that are introduced at the start gate. The overall theory is that to mobilize as arts educators and social justice warriors there must be community building, and often this can be challenging in the traditional realm of teachers relegated to solely being in the classroom without time and/or energy for professional development and connecting with other educators. “Chavez and Soep (2005) established the term “pedagogy of collegiality” (p. 411)3 to describe how community workers and young people can work together to co-create their own curriculum based on mutual respect and collective exploration. We extend the definition here to include teachers working together toward a common goal through a collaborative art and social justice professional community.” (PSJAE, pg. 39)

            There are many aspects of this study that began with a pre-determined concept and looked to back it up. For example, “With this knowledge of the participants in mind, and extending from the concept of big ideas, we introduced an explicit focus on social justice and activist education. This provided ways to make connections between issues in our lives and the lives of others and which prompted a close look at power dynamics.” (PSJAE, pg. 40) The article goes on to explore the established theories of power dynamics that have been set by a slew of social scientists. The goal moving forward is to support these theories and note how it all relates to deconstructing these power structures to more effectively reach kids through the arts. 

            Following this precept are the pre-proscribed charts that include the “artist”, “big ideas” and “probing questions”. All of this sounds like it could be purely qualitative in nature, but after combing through each graph there is clearly a positivist/quantitative aspect to this structure that looks to fit responses into a set figure to arrive at a conclusion that fits the hypotheses. There is a sort of comfort in taking that which is seemingly unquantifiable and quantifying it. In the art piece that is made of an alphabet of branded logo letters, the questions have to do with impact and brainwashing, “What are you being sold?” with a sort of pre-determined assumption, but it looks at art and power and proves a point in these graphs. The presentation not only looks at the power of creativity, but the power of power, and how it can upset imagination and creativity. So, within these examinations of creativity and activism, the study still lives in the land of positivism and satisfying existing theories. 

            The question remaining for me, is: Is this study effective? If they have proved their points, did that work come at a cost, or did they seem to get an honest sampling of viewpoints? To the latter question, is challenging to assess. However, the framework set up to move forward as an arts educator and social justice boots-on-ground person is strong - the tracks have been laid. However, I believe the next crucial step is to go back over the laundry list of studies and take apart the genesis of the theories presented. These studies, being the roots of the tree, would explain how they were bundled into the truck and the branches were able to grow into the focal study above. 

Interpretivist/Qualitative study:

Dewhurst, M. (2010) An Inevitable Question: Exploring the Defining Features of Social Justice Art Education, Routledge, Art education (Reston), 2010-09-01, Vol.63 (5), p.6-13

“An Inevitable Question: Exploring the Defining Features of Social Justice Art Education” begins with the Inevitable Question: “What do you really mean by social justice art education?” This study stood out to me, as I have had to respond to this question many times, and it is not an easy one to answer. But let’s take a step aside to look at interpretivist research design: “Interpretivism, also known as interpretivist, involves researchers to interpret elements of the study, thus interpretivism integrates human interest into a study. Accordingly, ‘interpretive researchers assume that access to reality (given or socially constructed) is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness, shared meanings, and instruments’. 4

            Now, onto how to define social justice arts education. Right at the top Dewhurst admits to this being a challenge, partly because “Some variation in nomenclature can be attributed to the multiple disciplinary lenses—from art history and anthropology to community development and public policy—that have been used to analyze this work. However, hidden in this tenuous terminology are competing visions about the very nature of social justice art education.” (An Inevitable Question, 2010) However, there is a basic understanding the work that we artivists5 do is manifest a space for arts creation that sheds light on, mobilizes action towards and (the goal!) abolishes inequality and injustice. 

            Now to look at the nature of the study in this primary source article: Merit Dewhurst investigated how 14 teenagers participating in a free after-school activist art class experienced and described the act of making a work of art to impact injustice. Dewhurst went into this investigation with the test-book definition of interpretivist research design, as she explored this topic through comprehensive interviews and observations. This research delves into the individual and subjective responses of these student artists, and Dewhurst is not attempting to put any of this research into a pre-labeled box. There are certain terms that are pervasive and understood as part of the social justice vernacular, but not within an overriding hypotheses. For example: “Pulling from the language of social justice education, activist artists ‘start where they are.’ To identify these connections, activist artists engage in critical reflection and attentive exploration of the ways injustice plays out in the world and in relation to an artist’s own life. These acts of naming and articulating are ways of learning about the nature of injustice.” This goal, to be open to students’ starting place of creativity and lived experience also fits into this interpretivist and qualitative design, in that the research is not full of directives or sheets pulled into hospital corners. The students are given the freedom to lead by design and create an authentic picture, literal picture, of social justice art that reflects their lives and what they would like their own vision to reflect and impact.

            As part of Dewhurst’s conclusion: “In classrooms, community centers, museums, and alternative learning sites across the country large numbers of young people are creating works of art—from murals and plays, to photographs and poetry—that question, challenge, and at times, impact existing conditions of inequality and injustice.” The strongest take-away from the hours of research, study and interviews was that the empowerment of the students and pulling from their own experience - not imposing set ideas in a heavy-handed way, ended up being most effective. The instructors were able to learn from the students - understand their experiences and allow for the students themselves to figure out how they could have a real impact with their art. Again, this plays into the questioning and subjective thought leading the way as opposed to a more positivist methodology. In this study, I believe the research design platform matched the goals for this study. 

Conclusion: Although both articles were chock full of fascinating content, even with varied goals and perspectives, Dewhurst’s had the most to offer me in its interpretivist mode. In particular, I appreciated the introduction of a social justice educator’s vocabulary, as in the “start where they are”, mentioned above. Another example would be “translating” which in this case simply refers to taking an arts discipline and figuring out how to translate it or transform it into becoming not just an art piece, but a tool for social justice. And, then, as part of this study, interviewing student artists on how this ideal might take place. As Dewhurst explains, “Translating requires activist artists to critically reflect on the purposes of their artwork and to match those with appropriate artistic tools, materials, and techniques. Watching students negotiate the balance between intended impacts and aesthetic aims reveals the unique challenges of making art for social justice.” This study made me proud to be in the realm of artistic expression through the lens of human rights and fighting, in my way, for social justice. 

Primary source review:

Positivist/Quantitative study:

Ploof, J. ; Hochtritt, L. R. (2018) Practicing Social Justice Art Education (PSJAE): Reclaiming Our Agency Through Collective Curriculum, Routledge, Art education (Reston), 2018-01-02, Vol.71 (1), p.38-44

Interpretivist/Qualitative study:

Dewhurst, M. (2010) An Inevitable Question: Exploring the Defining Features of Social Justice Art Education, Routledge, Art education (Reston), 2010-09-01, Vol.63 (5), p.6-13

1. Ponterotto JG. Qualitative research in counseling psychology: A primer on research paradigms and philosophy of science. J Coun Psych. 2005;52:126–136.

2. Chua IS, B. A., Bhansali P, et al. Capturing the patient voice through patient experience debriefs: How medical student- led debrief interviews of hospitalized families influence learning and reflection. Acad Med. 2019;94(11 suppl):S86–S94

3. Chavez, V.; Soep, E. Youth Radio and the Pedagogy of Collegiality, Harvard Educational Review, v75 n4 p409-434 Win 2005

4. Myers, M.D. (2008) “Qualitative Research in Business & Management” SAGE Publications

5. Definition: An individual who uses “creative expression to cultivate awareness and social change” Funderburk, A (2021) Using Art as Mean for Social Change, Artivists Can Change the World,  www.artandobject.com