TROUBLING, DISRUPTING, AND REIMAGINING EDUCATIONAL SPACES: The Need for Critical Multimodality Now

In this introductory chapter, we, the co-editors of this book, begin by defining the social semiotic perspective of multimodality as well as criticality. We then use vignettes to consider these theoretical connections through our own experiences with criticality and a social semiotic perspective of multimodality in our research, teaching, and lives in general. These narrative vignettes act as springboards for our conversation regarding critical multimodal social semiotics and a call for criticality in multimodal research. We then provide a brief illustration of how these theories can work together to support arguments seeking to expand and transform educational spaces. The chapter concludes with an overview of the four sections in this edited volume and several provocations for readers to consider.