Igniting a Fear Praxis for Teaching

I’ve followed Dr. Fisher's work for 20 years on the ways fear shapes our lives. He has emphasized by necessity our pressing gap in education, which his new book elaborates through the teachings of Samuel Gillian. We need to learn from this powerful force in shaping our collective futures. Dr. Fisher’s deep and thrilling work continues to outline both the theoretical dimensions of the issue and its impact on human capacities to live and thrive more sustainably together, with the many practical implications of the work for educators whether in schools, universities, politics, or workplaces. Importantly and timely, his work is even more required to guide us, as now we come face-to-face with intersecting global-local emergencies, in which our capacity to learn from fear will constitute a vital part of any potential solutions. Kent den Heyer, Ph.D Professor & Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Social Studies Department of Secondary Education University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Canada
R. Michael Fisher, a leading fearologist and critical educator for the 21st century, steps forward with a potent intellectual biography of a great contemporary educator Samuel N. Gillian Jr. to guide us toward better understanding and managing fear. This is Fisher's third illuminating book on an outstanding educator (proceeded by biographies on Four Arrows and Marianne Williamson) who tackles the Fear Problem. While critically assessing why we need alternative worldviews in schooling and adult education today, Fisher’s book on Gillian is accessible and narratively complex. He offers a novel viewpoint into the life and courage of an African American educator who has been unknown to most. Fisher believes a true healthy pedagogy is one that, as Gillian argues, is necessarily steeped in an inquiry into the nature and role of fear. I commend Dr. Fisher on this new work. Arie Kizel Prof. Arie Kizel (PhD) Head, Pedagogical Development of Educational Systems MA Program Dept. of Learning and Instructional Sciences Faculty of Education University of Haifa Co-founder and President, Mediterranean Association for Philosophy with Children