Design and Discomfort – Teaching Shakespeare and Race

What does it mean to teach Shakespeare in a world reckoning with racism and injustice? Explore new and innovative strategies for transforming discomfort into dialogue. Design and Discomfort confronts the complexities of teaching Shakespeare in today’s classrooms, where discussions of race, bias, and historical legacies can provoke discomfort—but also transformation. Edited by Laura B. Turchi, this collection brings together educators and teaching artists who share innovative strategies for rethinking Shakespeare’s role in education. Rather than treating Shakespeare as an untouchable authority, the contributors explore how his works can be a springboard for broader conversations about identity and justice. They advocate for performance-based and student-driven approaches that help students see themselves—their communities, their families, and their lived experiences—in the complex and seemingly distant world of Shakespeare. This open-access volume provides both conceptual essays and practical lesson designs for educators navigating the intersections of Shakespeare and race. By embracing discomfort as part of the learning process, Design and Discomfort reframes how Shakespeare should be taught in classrooms today.