Sharing outsider thinking: thinking (differently) with Deleuze in educational philosophy and curriculum inquiry

Abstract

This essay performs a number of our collaborative responses to thinking (differently) with Deleuze in educational philosophy and curriculum inquiry. Deleuze and Guattari have inspired each of us in distinctive ways. Single‐authored products include a series of narrative experiments or ‘rhizosemiotic play’ in writing educational philosophy and theory, and a doctoral thesis enacting processes of ‘rhizo‐imaginary’ ‘picturing’ towards immanent and emergent curriculum theorising. We have also collaborated in producing some co‐authored works, which has motivated us to persevere with exploring further potentials for thinking∼writing together. By exploring our genealogical and generative work with Deleuzean conceptual creations in mind, we seek to move readers beyond Deleuzo‐Guattarian select metaphors (e.g. nomadism, rhizome, lines of flight, smooth and striated spaces). However, we distance ourselves from the types of ‘use’ of Deleuze that merely appropriate metaphors that were never intended as metaphors. Rather, we prefer thinking with Deleuze to produce previously unthought questions, practices and knowledge. We intend these performances to give a sense of not only the generativity that Deleuzo‐Guattarian reading∼thinking has opened to us but also the affirmation such performances bestow for thinking (differently) in educational philosophy and curriculum inquiry.