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Bodily Doubt and a Pedagogy of Refusal: A Call to 'Be Here Now'

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Title: Bodily Doubt and a Pedagogy of Refusal: A Call to 'Be Here Now'
Language: English
Authors: Claire Timperley (ORCID 0000-0003-4725-2558)
Source: Higher Education Research and Development. 2026 45(2):354-365.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Human Body, Self Concept, Cancer, Teaching Methods, Instructional Innovation, Ability, Learning Processes, Humanization, Fear, Death, Quality of Life, Educational Philosophy
DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2026.2617277
ISSN: 0729-4360
1469-8366
Abstract: This article explores a pedagogy of refusal that developed in response to bodily doubt. First, I detail the emergence of bodily doubt resulting from a cancer diagnosis, drawing on Havi Carel's phenomenology of illness to show how recognition of bodily doubt disrupts natural confidence in bodily abilities and is replaced with feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability and existential angst. I then articulate how my teaching has been shaped by this experience, arguing that the revelation of bodily doubt fundamentally altered my sense of time and purpose. Inspired by bell hooks' prompt to challenge instrumentalist narratives of education that focus on future success, my teaching has become more attuned to the present, emphasizing the value of being in community together in the here and now, rather than constantly looking towards the future. In the final section, I conceptualize this response as a pedagogy of refusal, detailing two modes of refusal as responsive to bodily doubt: slow and embodied. I conclude by noting that while my sense of bodily doubt stems specifically from a cancer diagnosis, a pedagogy of refusal has the potential to be more broadly applicable across higher education.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504042
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: This article explores a pedagogy of refusal that developed in response to bodily doubt. First, I detail the emergence of bodily doubt resulting from a cancer diagnosis, drawing on Havi Carel's phenomenology of illness to show how recognition of bodily doubt disrupts natural confidence in bodily abilities and is replaced with feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability and existential angst. I then articulate how my teaching has been shaped by this experience, arguing that the revelation of bodily doubt fundamentally altered my sense of time and purpose. Inspired by bell hooks' prompt to challenge instrumentalist narratives of education that focus on future success, my teaching has become more attuned to the present, emphasizing the value of being in community together in the here and now, rather than constantly looking towards the future. In the final section, I conceptualize this response as a pedagogy of refusal, detailing two modes of refusal as responsive to bodily doubt: slow and embodied. I conclude by noting that while my sense of bodily doubt stems specifically from a cancer diagnosis, a pedagogy of refusal has the potential to be more broadly applicable across higher education.
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