Propositions for curriculum scholars in a contemporary world

Abstract

The contemporary world is marked by multifaceted crises; personal, social, and environmental, that raise urgent existential and educational questions. Within curriculum studies, these crises prompt critical inquiries such as: What knowledge is of most worth? Whose knowledge is valued? And is knowledge alone sufficient? While these questions remain central, this article shifts focus to the role of the curriculum scholar in navigating the contemporary moment. Drawing on theoretical insights from thinkers who have explored the nature of contemporaneity, I engage particularly with Giorgio Agamben’s notion of the “untimeliness” of the contemporary. Building on this theoretical insight, I propose nine provocations for curriculum scholars operating in a temporally complex world. These propositions are not grounded in formal logic; rather, they serve as posthuman invitations to engage with reality in experimental and transformative ways.