The discomfort arc in social pedagogy: Seeking the banal in a world of extremes

Date: November 7, 2025

Time 15.30 - 17.00

Venue: D3-G/F-09

Speaker: Professor Vivek Venkatesh

Abstract:

What if we reset the tempo of public learning—lingering where platforms urge us to scroll? This lecture charts a research program in social pedagogy that slows the pulse of civic life. I sketch para-academic spaces devoted to careful attention and reflexivity, where dissension is not a flaw but a practice to be sustained. I then search for the banal inside the “extreme”: the everyday rituals, orthodoxies, and gatekeeping that organize scenes and shape judgment. Through cases like musical projects I’ve co-founded including Landscape of Hate, Landscape of Hope, Halka and BANAL, as well as my feature films "Where in the hell is the Lavender House?” (2018), "Blekkmetal" (2015), and Enslaved 25 (2025), I show how patience, intimacy, and context loosen the grip of spectacle and help us read how meanings are made. Finally, I treat discomfort as a guiding axis: an inward turn that cultivates shame as a productive ethic—disciplining the ego and acknowledging complicity—followed by an outward turn toward practical care, asking, “How can I help?”. Along the way, I defend strategic exclusivity when it enables candour and safety for vulnerable participants. Throughout, art functions as pedagogy, creating small publics where people can remain in principled dissension with dignity—and where insight is converted into accountable action.

About the Speaker:

Vivek Venkatesh, PhD is Dean of the Faculty of Education and a James McGill Professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. He also serves as UNESCO Co-Chair in the Prevention of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism. An educator, filmmaker, and musician, his research-creation programs advance community resilience and pluralism by mobilizing music, film, and visual arts in schools and public spaces. Working with youth, teachers, artists, and civil society groups, his initiatives counter hate and polarization while strengthening belonging, trust, and voice. His leadership foregrounds rigorous, public-facing pedagogy that helps educators design inclusive classrooms and evaluate impact with clear, human-centered measures. Vivek has secured nearly $11 million (CAD) in funding, published over 70 peer-reviewed pieces, released 3 feature films and co-founded 4 musical outfits and art collectives.