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Contribution short abstract

Exploring critical pedagogy and emotional labor, we discuss creating safer, inclusive spaces for sensitive topics in higher education. Reflecting on experiences with alternative teaching approaches, we consider their transformative potential and promote empathy, care, and accessibility.

Contribution long abstract

During the round table we want to reflect on our experiences teaching about mental health, intimacy, and sexualities in India and Germany, highlighting the challenges of navigating silences and taboos in academic settings. We, Annika and Sudarshan, draw on our collaborative research and teaching experiences, exploring how critical pedagogy can be used to create safer and trauma-informed spaces for discussing sensitive topics and ecourage personal engagement. Our courses in India and Germany aimed to empower students to think critically about the intersections of mental health, intimacy, and sexualities, while also acknowledging the power dynamics and social norms that shape these discussions. We examine how silence can be both a barrier and a facilitator of learning, and how educators possibly can work with silence to create more inclusive and empathetic environments. Through our (auto)ethnographic accounts, we reflect on the generative power of emotional labor involved in teaching and learning about sensitive topics, considering teaching as an embodied, sensory and affective experience. We will also touch upon the extra labor required to maintain these alternative pedagogical approaches, including the emotional and administrative work involved in building and sustaining inclusive and empathetic academic environments. By sharing our stories, we hope to raise important questions about the benefits and limitations of teaching practices that prioritize care, accessibility, and empathy. Can these approaches truly transform academic cultures, or do they risk burning out instructors and leaving our students vulnerable in systems that prioritize quantifiable outputs and seamless academic careers?