| dc.description.abstract | Obesity discourse is dominant in mainstream Western society, and is increasingly
identified as a social category that normalizes, privileges, and praises certain bodies while
stigmatizing others. Given that weight-based stigma has been shown to have harmful
consequences, addressing and employing teaching strategies that address this social justice issue
is, therefore, of utmost importance. This research investigates the academic experiences,
philosophical perspectives, and pedagogical approaches of twenty-six post-secondary faculty
members in social sciences, humanities, health sciences, behavioural sciences, and education
who are known for challenging dominant obesity discourse in their teaching. Data were collected
via semi-structured interviews and relevant course materials submitted by each participant
(course syllabi, Power Point presentations, workshop materials, and academic papers).
Qualitative data analysis and reporting techniques were employed within a critical fat studies,
framework to explore the experiences, perspectives, and approaches of all participants.
Analysis indicates that fat oppression within academic institutions is prevalent and that
working to address this social justice issue is complex. Participants drew specific attention to
how bodies are read within their university classrooms in the context of contemporary dominant
obesity discourse. They highlighted how their academic careers are being influenced by size
privilege and fat oppression within their post-secondary institutions. Lastly, participants shared
various pedagogical approaches and teaching practices they have employed in the classroom that
aimed to disrupt the reproduction, legitimization, and promotion of biomedical obesity narratives
and offer alternative perspectives around fatness. This research concludes that combining critical
fat studies and educational research is generative for understanding and addressing fat oppression
within higher education. | en_US |
