Phillips, L.G., (2022). Storytelling pedagogy for active citizenship. In L.G. Phillips, & T.P.T. Nguyen (Eds.) Storytelling pedagogy in Australia & Asia. Palgrave Macmillan.
Storytelling can provoke empathetic imagination, to walk with others in their plights. The weight of tragedies is carried through stories, who invite us to empathise and motivate us to act. Louise shares philosophical and theoretical explanations of the qualities of stories and storytelling that ignite empathy and action, such as Mohondas K. Gandhi’s stories of peaceful resistance to British Indian rule. Illustrative examples of storytelling pedagogy with stories of courageous acts are provided that include an Aboriginal Australian Stolen Generation story, the plight of an endangered bird and campaigning for children’s freedom from bonded labour. How the children respond to each of these stories provides evidence of how the empathetic qualities of storytelling provoke young children’s motivation to redress injustices. Pedagogical practices and implications of storytelling for active citizenship are offered to support the cultivation of young people’s voice, empathy, compassion and social action.
View Chapter 9: Storytelling pedagogy for active citizenship