Teaching Sociology in Turbulent Times: Ethical Pedagogy and the Politics of the Classroom

This article calls for a critical reimagining of sociology teaching in today’s political climate, where post-pandemic learning, rising inequalities and institutional power demand urgent reflection. Inspired by bell hooks’ question – what truly matters most? – it asks: what does an ethical praxis of teaching sociology entail, and how do we navigate its politics? I foreground positionality, care and epistemic justice as normative commitments to guide ethical pedagogy, acknowledging they are deliberate choices rather than historically universal ethics. Using the concepts of pedagogic discomfort and doing good harm, I propose interventions that foster ethical reflexivity – an orientation grounded in responsibility, attention to power and relational accountability. The article explores what it means to teach ethically, not the teaching of ethics, considering how classroom decisions reproduce or resist inequalities. Ultimately, it advocates for a sociology classroom of hope: critical, reflective and transformative, ethically and politically engaged, and committed to social justice.