A Phenomenographic Study of Youth Conceptualizations of Evil: Order-Words and the Politics of Evil

Oct 15, 2026

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Students in secondary social studies analyze how politicians describe historical events using the word and concept of evil. The label can shape images, feelings, and thoughts, oversimplify past and present situations, and reduce students’ sense of agency. This phenomenographical study used semi-structured interviews and focus groups to reveal five referential aspects, informing implications for engaging with “naming and describing evil” in social studies education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Order-Words

A Phenomenographic Study of Youth Conceptualizations of Evil: Order-Words and the Politics of Evil Cathryn van Kessel University of Alberta Abstract Students in secondary social studies examine descriptions of historical events and rhetoric by politicians that utilize the word and concept of evil. The label of evil can evoke specific images, feelings, and thoughts; oversimplify historical and contemporary situations; and decrease students’ sense of agency. This phenomenographical study included individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The outcome space revealed five referential aspects: evil as images, evil as affects (bodily) and effects (cognitive), evil as something that is abnormal and/or extraordinary, evil as human, and evil as subjective. One salient implication of this study is that teachers, textbook authors, and curriculum designers need to more explicitly engage with naming and describing evil in social studies education in the context of Deleuze and Guattari’s (1980/2008) order-words. Keywords: social studies, phenomenography, evil, youth, order-words Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 40:4 (2017)©2017 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Résumé Dans leurs cours de sciences humaines, les élèves du secondaire étudient des descriptions de faits historiques et la rhétorique de politiciens qui utilisent le mot « mal » et le concept du mal. L’étiquette du mal peut évoquer des images, des sentiments et des idées, simplifier à outrance des situations passées ou actuelles et miner chez les élèves leur sentiment d’une capacité d’agir. Cette étude phénoménographique incluait desentrevues semi-structurées et des groupes de discussion. L’espace qui en résulte révèle cinq aspects référentiels : le mal en images, le mal en tant qu’affects (corporels) et effets (cognitifs), le mal comme une chose anormale ou hors de l’ordinaire, le mal comme une capacité propre à l’homme et le mal comme une notion subjective. L’une des principales implications de cette étude est que les enseignants, les manuels scolaires et les concepteurs de programmes d’études en sciences sociales au secondaire doivent plus explicitement désigner et décrire le mal dans le contexte des mots d’ordre de Deleuze et Guattari. Mots-clés : sciences humaines, phénoménographie, mal, jeunesse, mots d’ordre Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 40:4 (2017) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction In high school social studies, students examine historical events rife with large-scale violence often labelled as evil (e.g., genocide) as well as political rhetoric that evokes evil, such as Reagan’s “evil empire” in the context of the Cold War or G. W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil” during discussions ofthe War on Terror. Evil is not a word that is easily conceptualized, and yet the impact of this word permeates our lives here in Canada and elsewhere. There are, of course, stereotypes of evil that rely on a simplistic binary of good versus evil, but the real power of evil lies not with identifying a specific representation or definition of evil, but with how the word and concept of evil can operate (see Youngblood Jackson, 2013). I purposefully interviewed students without providing them with a definition of evil because it is clear from the philosophical and psychological literature that the definition is up for debate. Regardless of how evil might be defined (e.g., sadism, putrid defilement, bureaucratic thoughtlessness), my research points to affects (bodily) and effects (cognitive) of contempt when someone or something is labelled as evil, and I examine some of the implications these affects and effects have for political literacy. For this article, I am limiting my discussion to participant responses, and, specifically, to how Deleuze and Guattari’s order-words (1980/2008) are helpful for my more

FAQs

What problem does the study address regarding the word “evil” in social studies?

The study examines how politicians’ use of “evil” shapes student perceptions, potentially oversimplifying situations and undermining students’ sense of agency.

How did the phenomenographical study collect data?

It included individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students in secondary social studies.

What key referential aspects of “evil” did the study identify?

The outcome space revealed evil as images; bodily affects and cognitive effects; abnormal/extraordinary; human; and subjective.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fans