Creating Abolitionist Classroom Environments and Three Abolitionist Learning Activities

Authors

Marina Bell, University College CorkFollow

Abstract

In this paper I describe some of the approaches I have developed over the past six years of abolitionist teaching in the classroom. I will focus on three activities for helping students grapple with abolitionist concepts, principles, and values experientially, with the goal of generating conversation about some of their most challenging aspects, and working through emotions around them. Specifically these exercises are: 1) Distinguishing between carceral and abolitionist reforms, 2) What do we do with “the dangerous people” and our feelings about them?, and 3) A mutual aid exercise in which I have students identify and choose together what they see as the most significant problem at their university, and develop a plan collectively for how to address it without involving the school administration, to help them understand how mutual aid works, and that they have tremendous power to address unmet needs. In addition to describing these exercises and providing their rationale, learning objectives, explanation, debriefing, and assessment, I also describe and discuss some of my experiences with them, as well as some guidance as to how I work to build community, trust, safe vulnerability, and an understanding of the dynamics of privilege and oppression in the classroom, and an interaction among everyone in the space that is guided by abolitionist principles. This context-building in the classroom is an essential part of creating the necessary kind of environment in which safe and vulnerable discussions generated by these exercises can take place, and in which abolitionist imagining can be ignited.

Recommended Citation

Bell, Marina (2025) "Creating Abolitionist Classroom Environments and Three Abolitionist Learning Activities," Feminist Pedagogy: Vol. 6: Iss. 4, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/feministpedagogy/vol6/iss4/8