Teachers accused of indoctrination in Chile: a narrative study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5212/PraxEduc.v.21.26518.037Abstract
Across democratic contexts, accusations of indoctrination directed at teachers who address politically controversial issues have gained increasing visibility as a mechanism for regulating pedagogical practice. In Chile, this trend has been reinforced by an institutional framework that enables citizens to file complaints regarding the treatment of political issues in schools. Although the literature has examined the implications of teaching controversial issues and debates surrounding indoctrination, less is known about how such accusations are experienced by teachers themselves. Drawing on a narrative study involving six Chilean teachers, this article examines the subjective consequences of these experiences. The findings reveal that these accusations constitute traumatic narratives mediated by discourses of suspicion, reconfiguring pedagogical work through dynamics of judgment and surveillance. The article concludes by discussing how this climate of distrust reshapes pedagogical praxis when addressing controversial issues in the classroom.
Keywords: Indoctrination. Teacher narratives. Teacher autonomy. Citizenship education. Controversial issues. Chile.
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