Book Reviews
Is Experiential Learning Always the Solution? Eduardo Halfon’s Warnings on the Limits
Adrian Matus reviews Eduardo Halfon’s Tarentule, Quai Voltaire, Paris, 2024, 220p. (originally published in Spanish as Tarántula, Libros del Asteroide, 2024, 184 p.) Adrian Matus is an editor at the Review of Democracy. How should we engage young generations with the traumas of the twentieth century? Pedagogues were aware for decades, if not centuries, that traditional formal reading assignments often fail to convey the emotional gravity of historical events. In this context, experiential learning through re-enactments or simulations seems to be a relevant pedagogical alternative. Historians, museum practitioners, teachers, and non-formal educators use this approach to convey empathy and historical responsibility. Yet, the question that naturally arises is: are there any limitations of this approach? To what extent could experiential learning obscure the meaning of sensitive topics rather than reveal them? Eduardo Halfon’s Tarentule offers an unsettling answer to this [...]
13.06.2025
