Affective Rhetoric and ‘Sticky Concepts’ in European Education Policy Documents

Abstract

Concepts carry not only meanings but also affective associations and cultural connotations. In this chapter, we elaborate on the affective dimensions of European education policy documents. Many of the conceptual densities discussed in this book form affective peaks or rhetorical pinnacles that transmit the idea of intercultural dialogue-and the values attached to it-more effectively than the definitions of the concept alone are able to do. Drawing on theories of affect, we trace the affective transmission of ideals and values in the education policy documents and examine what kind of affects and affective connotations 'stick' to the concept of intercultural dialogue. We suggest affective rhetoric is used in European education policy documents to legitimize the commissioning bodies' attempts to advance intercultural dialogue.Policies function as 'actants' that are able to create webs of meanings, social and semantic spaces, and action. Policy rhetoric names, gives meanings to, and categorizes issues and explicitly states how these issues and related practices should be approached. Moreover, it is able to 'move' its recipients at a more intimate level. In this chapter, we discuss the affective associations, or 'stickiness' (e.g. Ahmed 2004a, b, c) evoked by the rhetorical use of the concepts related to intercultural dialogue in European

Critiquing the sacred and the profane in higher education

“…Conversely, the notion of criticality may be venerated as a sacrosanct value of academic pedagogy and intellectual engagement, yet its application can be co-opted as a strategic tool for marketing or assessment, devoid of contextual sensitivity or acknowledgement of the diverse embodiments of those who enact it (Danvers, 2019). Thus, educational concepts do not exist in a vacuum but are shaped by cultural connotations and affective associations that vary across contexts (Lähdesmäki et al, 2020).…”