Introduction to the Special Issue: Rethinking Social Studies in Post-truth Era

The triumph of Trump and the ongoing popularity of far right parties across the world have brought into question basic liberal democratic values of a free press, the rule of law, and notions of truth.Reflecting these developments, in 2016 the Oxford Dictionary (2016) recognized "post-truth," as the word of the year.Pointing to an emergent political landscape where "objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief" (Oxford Dictionary, 2016, para.1), the March 2017 cover of Time Magazine equally asked: Is Truth Dead?The implications of these developments for social studies and education more generally are profound.In a recent article entitled History Educators in a New Era, Dr. Peter Seixas (2017) from the University of British Columbia, asserted: "This is a dangerous moment, globally, for the liberal arts, education and research, for democratic values generally, and for history and history education specifically" (para .1).He went on to argue that liberal democratic traditions have increasingly come under attack across the Western world.Populist political agitators like President Donald Trump now present 'alternative facts' to describe provable falsehoods.This trend has led many social studies educators to reconsider what our role should be within this era of alternative facts.Responding to this question, Seixas offers two key pieces of guidance.The first concerns a renewed attentiveness to the historical narratives we teach to our students.In this regard, he challenges the singular focus of many University professors and historians on the flaws and problems with traditional narratives, and the need to examine the dark side of our national past.In the Canadian context, this has included the ways official government policies, aided by popular public support, served to perpetuate racial segregation in schools, the forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples, racialized immigration restrictions, anti-Semitism, the mistreatment of Chinese immigrant railway workers, and the displacement and internment of Japanese Canadians (See: Lund, 2006, p. 38).In order to counter the alt right's apocalyptic view of the world, in place of a focus on such stories, Seixas argues for a new appreciation for a qualified narrative of progressive opportunity and open democracy, which has historically been central to the social studies classroom.He

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