Difficult funds of knowledge (DFoK) in educating for social justice: bringing 'dark funds of knowledge' and 'difficult knowledge' into conversation.
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| Title: | Difficult funds of knowledge (DFoK) in educating for social justice: bringing 'dark funds of knowledge' and 'difficult knowledge' into conversation. |
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| Authors: | Cabiles, Bonita S.1 bonita.cabiles@rmit.edu.au |
| Source: | Critical Studies in Education. Oct2025, Vol. 66 Issue 4, p480-497. 18p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Social justice education, Crime |
| Abstract: | This paper brings together two complementary, but also distinctive, concepts – difficult knowledge and dark funds of knowledge – to theorise difficult funds of knowledge, or DFoK, in educating for systemic (in)justice. Difficult knowledge, referring to trauma-related experiences, has been recently theorised by Michalinos Zembylas to accentuate the affect of vulnerability for instigating solidarity towards a more action-oriented framework. Dark funds of knowledge (or dark FoK) – a derivative from the original concept, funds of knowledge – was introduced by Lew Zipin, and refers to everyday challenging experiences such as encounters with crime, poverty, and their connections to classed, racialized, gendered and other power relations which can be mobilised for teaching and learning. Whilst both concepts are driven by a commitment to social justice in education, they have distinctive features. Difficult knowledge's attention to affect is not foregrounded in dark FoK. Conversely, dark FoK's key argument for epistemic justice through an asset framing of everyday difficult encounters is not emphasised in difficult knowledge. Thus, this paper seeks to propose a conceptual framework through the notion of difficult funds of knowledge to invite curricular and pedagogical deliberations that simultaneously attune to epistemic vulnerability and epistemic justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | This paper brings together two complementary, but also distinctive, concepts – difficult knowledge and dark funds of knowledge – to theorise difficult funds of knowledge, or DFoK, in educating for systemic (in)justice. Difficult knowledge, referring to trauma-related experiences, has been recently theorised by Michalinos Zembylas to accentuate the affect of vulnerability for instigating solidarity towards a more action-oriented framework. Dark funds of knowledge (or dark FoK) – a derivative from the original concept, funds of knowledge – was introduced by Lew Zipin, and refers to everyday challenging experiences such as encounters with crime, poverty, and their connections to classed, racialized, gendered and other power relations which can be mobilised for teaching and learning. Whilst both concepts are driven by a commitment to social justice in education, they have distinctive features. Difficult knowledge's attention to affect is not foregrounded in dark FoK. Conversely, dark FoK's key argument for epistemic justice through an asset framing of everyday difficult encounters is not emphasised in difficult knowledge. Thus, this paper seeks to propose a conceptual framework through the notion of difficult funds of knowledge to invite curricular and pedagogical deliberations that simultaneously attune to epistemic vulnerability and epistemic justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 17508487 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/17508487.2025.2514282 |
