This is the opinion of Christer Mattsson, Associate Professor of Pedagogy and Director of the Segerstedt Institute at the University of Gothenburg, who has been invited by the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology at Lund University to give a lecture on the Risk of Polarisation in the Lecture Hall on 6 February. Amongst other things, he will address the implications for teaching as universities are increasingly expected to take a stand on social and political issues.
For example, if topics such as gang crime, conflicts in the Middle East, climate change, anti-Semitism or Islamophobia are raised at seminars or lectures, there is a risk of polarisation. When this happens, it often leads to silence, according to Christer Mattsson.
The concept of truth
“My research strongly suggests this. When approaching a lecture on a loaded topic, most people are silent. And when people are silent, no one learns anything,” he says and continues:
“I see the main risk of polarisation as not learning to participate in democratic discourse.”
What polarisation ultimately leads to is a crisis for the concept of truth as such, according to him. What is the point of truth when no one is interested in it?
"Empathetically curious"
“People have always had different views and opinions, but how do you deal with someone like Donald Trump who deliberately lies and whose lies are appreciated by millions of people who don't want to believe anything else? I encounter this in my field of research, where it is very difficult to have a sensible discussion about the term ‘Zionists’, for example.”
Christer Mattsson’s advice is to always try to be ‘empathetically curious’. Empathetic towards the person you are discussing with and curious about what they are saying. Even things that go against your own views.
“Because when people get into an emotional state, everyone has different coping strategies: some go on the attack, others pretend to agree just to avoid the uncomfortable situation, some just want to walk away. The problem with coping strategies is that we stop talking to each other.”
How to deal with loaded topics
Christer Mattsson says that teachers often know in advance which topics and lectures can lead to students becoming emotionally triggered. The question is how teachers should deal with it when it happens or if they can even act early so that there is no conflict in the classroom. He gives an example from a course on anti-Semitism that he runs himself:
“When I start the course, I ask everyone to tell me why they are there and what they want to get out of the course. I ask them to be empathetic and curious and to look after each other even if they disagree. I also say that if there is a situation where I perceive that someone feels attacked or if the situation becomes unpleasant, I will stop the class, and that they must then understand that I might get the wrong idea and stop the class when I shouldn’t have done so. Doing so is not putting a lid on it, we will continue when things have calmed down.”
