Abstract

Using personal narrative, the author describes her exploratory process as an art educator working with a large, politically divided group of non-art major students as they process their opposing views surrounding the 2016 American Presidential Election. The author reflects on her journey as a liberal educator in a conservative state, attempting to use current visual culture in order to best promote empathy for bipartisanship among students in a time of political unrest. Using visual inquiry as a vehicle for constructive civil discourse concerning insulated echo chambers, students’ commonalities and differences are shared as they transpired.

Keywords: civil discourse, critical consciousness, critical visual literacy, bipartisanship, bipartisan discourse, echo chamber, empathy, hashtag, memes, political images, purple empathy, social justice, social consciousness, social responsibility, visual culture, visual literacy, visual influence

How to Cite:

Nelson, M. B., (2017) “Blue Educator in a Red State: Creating Spaces of Purple Empathy through Civil Bipartisan Discourse”, Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education 34(1), 60-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jcrae.4884