From Evidentiary Epistemologies to Empowered Solidarities – A Pedagogy for Social Change in Genocide Education

Encounters with ‘difficult knowledge’ (Britzman, 1998), that which is uncomfortable or unsettling, such as anti-racist, settler-colonial, or genocide education, have the potential for affective disempowerment of learners (Worsham, 2001) or can be the platform for encouraging radical action. Exploring educational experiences in memorial museums at sites of mass atrocities (Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and Srebrenica Memorial Centre) from the perspective of both educators and learners, this paper presents a Pedagogy for Social Change in Genocide Education (Sadique, 2024). The model addresses intergenerational learning from past injustices through education that promotes the building or maintaining of sustainable peace, and is delivered outside of the classroom (Bajaj, 2016). It argues that genocide education requires evidence, affectivity, memory formation, reflection and empowerment for learners to be moved from the less radical ‘Never Forget’ to a more action-oriented position (Zembylas, 2014). Further it proposes that learners need to try out the ‘skills’ of taking action to build confidence to stand with others in ‘empowered solidarity’, thereby working towards creating a more just society where ‘Never Again’ is a possibility.