Episode 4: Approaching Racist Violence in Toni Morrison's Beloved

In this episode, Paige and Margaret are joined by Dr. Dennis Moore to discuss teaching depictions of racist violence in literature. Using Toni Morrison's Beloved to anchor the conversation, we might call this conversation "Clever, but Schoolteacher Beat Him Anyway." We talk about how these scenes can challenge our students' misconceptions, depict layers of knowledge and culture, and address that some traumas can never be truly spoken. Examining racist violence in a literature classroom can be uncomfortable and we want to lean into that discomfort while maintaining a safe environment for our students to learn. Join us as we talk about how Morrison's masterpiece allows us the opportunity to do so.Please note: because this episode focuses on racist violence, there are descriptions of graphic violence and references to racist language.

Om Podcasten

We are two friends who love teaching literature just as much as we love talking. Over the past five years or so, we have each taught a range of literature courses in a variety of contexts. Our experiences prompted us to think about what it means to teach literature in a twenty-first century classroom. In our podcast, we create a place to discuss literature pedagogy, consider the hurdles and concerns the majority of literature teachers will face, form a community to encourage collaboration, work through our own journey and questions, and share our general love for pedagogy. Let's craft our dream course together! Join in the conversation at our website: https://literaturely.wixsite.com/podcast