Kincheloe, Joe

Joe Lyons Kincheloe was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1950. Growing up in the Deep South, he witnessed forms of social injustices based on class and race, which fuelled him to fight these injustices with powerful words and actions as a prolific yet unpretentious scholar. Influenced by blues and rock and roll, Kincheloe had a natural talent as a musician and songwriter, which led him to form a band of academics called Tony and the Hegemones, who played at many conferences and venues between 1998 and 2008. He was a Canada Research Chair of Critical Pedagogy at McGill University; he taught in the City University of New York Graduate School Urban Education Program and was the Belle Zeller Chair in Public Policy and Administration at Brooklyn College. He also taught at Pennsylvania State University, Florida International University, Louisiana State University at Shreveport and Sinte Gleska College in the Sioux Community of South Dakota. Kincheloe played a formative role in the development of critical pedagogy. His work contributed to teacher education, critical theory, cultural studies, critical constructivism, research bricolage, critical multicultural education, critical cognitive theory and critical post-formal cognition. He was the author of more than 45 books, countless book chapters, and hundreds of journal articles. He passed away suddenly in Kingston, Jamaica, on 19 December 2008 while on vacation with his partner, Shirley Steinberg, and three graduate students.

Kincheloe loved storytelling. More than anything, with the exception of football, he loved to entertain and tell stories. And stories he told. These were the most incredible life experiences told as ‘Joe’ stories. Those who knew him understood what a ‘Joe’ story was—long, detailed and somehow always filled with humour. These stories were based on the real-life experiences of Kincheloe growing up in the South and climbing the academic ladder as a White boy [Page 478]with a quirky Tennessee accent. Funny, yet strange, and almost surreal stories based on a myriad of events from his young days becoming best friends with some local Italians who saved him from a street fight to the time he was stuck in a hotel elevator with a group of friends. The only consistency in his stories was the length and the incredible details; Kincheloe's stories were unforgettable—stories that a stranger would consider fictional, almost impossible.

Kincheloe's love for storytelling was a key aspect of his action research approach. He viewed his research as an ongoing conversation and created an open and safe space for everyone around to contribute and push forward ideas, theories and praxis. Most of all, he centred dialogue and discussion in his approach and facilitated the space and place for all those involved in the inquiry to contribute. His respect for indigenous ways and knowledges was the foundation of his action research, bringing forward exciting, yet challenging, questions for the researcher engaged with participatory methods. Kincheloe taught his students to always approach research with the desire to create change, to disrupt patterns and challenge environments, with a passion for transformation and social justice.

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