Teaching resistance: Pedagogical reflections on “sociology of resistance”

Abstract

This article reflects on the pedagogical journey of designing and teaching “Sociology of Resistance” at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul. The course examines how resistance emerges in response to power, inequality, and structural domination, encouraging students to think critically about agency, autonomy, and tactics across varied contexts. Through a multidisciplinary syllabus integrating sociology, political science, feminist theory, and cultural studies, students explore case studies ranging from Palestinian resistance to Indigenous struggles in Kashmir, South Africa, and the Americas. Central to the course is the inclusion of guest speakers, activists, artists, and ex-detainees, whose lived experiences brought theoretical concepts into immediate contact with contemporary political realities. Attention to language justice through in-class translation allowed guests to speak in their tongues. This reflection highlights the intellectual and ethical work of teaching resistance in a politically urgent time. The course has since developed into a global book project aimed at decolonizing resistance pedagogy.