The Melanie Buffington Papers
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Original Publication Date
2019
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Transdisciplinary Inquiry, Practice, and Possibilities in Art Education
DOI of Original Publication
https://doi.org/10.26209/arted50-09
Date of Submission
March 2023
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the work of Jane Addams and Hull-House, through Cornel West’s (1999) ideas of prophetic pragmatism. In accordance with West’s writings, we consider the importance of investigating the historical underpinnings of what we believe to be true, while at the same time questioning existing practices, and considering where and from whose work these practices originate. Addams and Hull-House were revolutionary during their time and their work resulted in major neighborhood and community reform. Additionally, through the open forums and frequent visitors to Hull-House, the work there influenced many of Addams’ contemporaries, including John Dewey. Yet, historically, women like Jane Addams and their work have been marginalized as being less than the work of men. We contend that this practice needs to be changed. We pay particular attention to the relationship between Addams’ and Dewey’s ideas, chiefly in Democracy and Education (1916). We pull from and suggest that social work, feminism, community-based research, and pragmatism should be “informing disciplines” for 21st century art education. Expanding West’s notion of prophetic pragmatism, we suggest a feminist prophetic pragmatist lens (Hamington, 2009) through which to view Addams’ work, the work of the residents of Hull-House, and their situation within the histories of Art Education.
Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Is Part Of
Melanie Buffington Papers
Comments
Originally published by Pennsylvania State University Libraries Open Publishing as part of the proceedings of the seminar "Transdisciplinary Inquiry, Practice, and Possibilities in Art Education: Proceedings from The Penn State Seminar @50." Licensed under a licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26209/arted50-09