Seeing and feeling difficult history: A case study of how Canadian students make sense of photographs of Indian Residential Schools

Students in social studies classrooms are faced with a barrage of images, many of which represent historical trauma and violence. Although photographs can be used as pedagogical tools to represent experiences of injustice and elicit deeper understanding, they also activate affective and unrelated responses in students. In this case study, I explore the responses of Canadian secondary students to a set of historical photographs found in textbooks and resources that focus on the Indian Residential Schools. Findings from the study indicate that student responses to images representing difficult knowledge are unpredictable. Students were affectively and emotionally provoked by the photographs to both accept and deny abuse, as well as make personal connections to their own experiences of schooling. These findings raise questions around the best ways to use photographs of historical injustice in classrooms, as well as the ethics of using photographs that represent the suffering of others.