Chapter 4 - The (Un-)Making of Microfascism in Schools and Classrooms

Summary

This chapter demonstrates how Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of ‘microfascism’ is of crucial importance to an understanding of the complexities of contemporary pedagogical efforts to combat populism, right-wing extremism, and fascism. In particular, I discuss how ‘affect’ and ‘biopower’ are entangled in everyday processes of discipline and control, and argue that these concepts are pivotal for appreciating the affective relations and capacities of microfascism. To illustrate how affect and biopower are intimately linked to microfascist practices in schools and classrooms, I analyze two examples—one in health education and another in citizenship education. Finally, I suggest pedagogical strategies that could unmake microfascist subjectivities, emphasizing that it is important to understand the complexities involved since fascism is easily disguised in many forms that are often aligned with (neo)liberal values.