Caucus of Social Theory in Art Education (CSTAE) Column: Summer 2023

The Relevance of Social Theory in Art Education

Column by: Manisha Sharma, University of North Texas, Denton. Email: manisha.sharma@unt.edu

I have had the privilege and pleasure of writing for, reviewing, and editing the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education (JSTAE) over the past decade. I have been a reader of the journal and a member of CSTAE for double that time. What got me hooked on CSTAE and JSTAE is one of the most engaging and democratic practices I have encountered in the field of art education that happens each year at the NAEA Convention, during the CSTAE Town Hall meetings. Those present at the meeting discuss the most urgent issues of our social present to brainstorm the theme for the upcoming journal issue. The discussion eventually distills to three to four key ideas voted as most relevant, which the current editor then develops into calls for the following journal issue. The meeting and discussions are relevant as they call for an engaged conversation around the present moment in society and engage senior scholars and emerging scholars alike; and they demonstrate the connection between lived experience and theoretical frameworks.

When I began attending these meetings, Kryssi Staikidis was the CSTAE coordinator. The attendance and discussions were robust. In the past few years, I have noted a downward trend of attendees, although the conversations are still robust. Investigating the reason for this development through conversations with NAEA members, I understand the proliferation of Interest Groups at NAEA is one reason—people now prefer to participate in groups focused on more specific issues close to their hearts and research; another reason is the wariness of the term “social theory.” NAEA is about practitioners, I have heard multiple times. the untangling of philosophical theory is too far removed from the real lives of art teachers. Undoubtedly, looking back at the JSTAE journal issues of the 80s and 90s, articles tended to be more focused on unpacking and understanding theoretical texts, but it was always with relevance to moments in art education history and developments. Personally, I have always found this form of JSTAE publications to be a reliable bridge that illustrates how the intricacies of theory hold possibilities when put into practice.

In the past several journal issues, authors have tended to write more in terms of applications of theory in practice. I appreciate this subtle shift for its obvious implications for a wider readership, in that these articles show how art and museum educators have accomplished the translation of theory into practice; or, alternatively, they have been able to connect their practice to tenets in social theory. Going forward, I hope to see a balance of these reciprocal mobilities (Massey, 1994) represented in the journal, where there is space for a focus on theory for itself, as well as its applications in practice. As Massey (1994) suggests, humans are not naturally bound to one context of space and time: I ability to be mobile in terms of ideas and physical movement is equally vital for our well-being. Thus, I am hopeful for future explorations of new and revisited social theories in the Interest Group and the journal.

This brings me to a second and vital point. In my previous role as CSTAE coordinator and current role as JSTAE editor, I have heard the following question posed in context of journal manuscripts, by reviewers and potential authors alike: What is the difference between social and cultural theory and how do I know if JSTAE and CSTAE are for me? Discussing this with colleagues in CSTAE, the most succinct response I got came from CSTAE board member Oscar Keyes: Social theory examines institutions—their structures, functions, and impacts upon societies and their various formations (which includes culture); cultural theory examines the effects and affects of lived experience within and across cultures. So there you have it, although of course social and cultural theory are imbricated—as are society and culture.

I hope more folks out there are inspired to join CSTAE (free memberships for students!) and participate in our Town Halls (membership in CSTAE is not required for this). I also hope more of you will explore and be moved to engage with JSTAE—all issues are available with open access at https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jstae

Reference

Massey, D. (1994). Double articulation: A place in the world. In A. Bammer (Ed.), Displacements: Cultural identities in question (pp. 110–121). Indiana University Press.

Emily Jean Hood, CSTAE Coordinator
University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Email: ehood@ualr.edu