Chapter 7: Where Is The Queerness In Social Studies Teacher Education?

New possibilities open when we allow ourselves to look beyond existing perceived boundaries, blur existing lines, and trouble what is taken for granted or neatly situated within conventional wisdom. When black and white become shades of gray, new perspectives and ways of being emerge. New understandings are made possible when we take the time to investigate gray spaces. A colleague and I dabbled into this “gray space” when we wrote about the Diné¹and explained their understanding of gender fluidity. We wrote, “As day becomes night and the seasons change, the Diné understood the process of ‘becoming’ and recognized stages of ‘in-between-ness’ as natural and non-threatening” (Mayo & Sheppard, 2012, p. 276). In essence, this is how I understand what it means to queer something. My goal in this chapter is to offer a queered vision of social studies teacher education by humbly engaging the question, “Where is the queerness in social studies teacher education?” This chapter aims to unveil not only what is but also to imagine other possibilities as well. Utilizing practices witnessed and engaged over my twelve-year career as a social studies teacher educator in combination with the application of thirdspace will allow me to make some progress toward this goal.