Black Panther (2021)

Martin, J. F. (2021). The many ways of Wakanda: Viewpoint diversity in Black Panther and its implications for civics education. Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, 8, 24-36.

• The viewpoint diversity displayed by its citizens suggests that the film’s central character is Wakandan society.

• Social domain theory (SDT)—a theory that attempts to explain the development of sociomoral concepts across the lifespan—provides a useful lens to examine Wakandans’ viewpoint diversity as portrayed in the film.

• Black Panther (2018) may have some value for primary school educators as a potential aid towards their efforts to create learning activities related to civics education.

“Given the prevalence of superhero media and the general consistency between (1) increasing sociomoral capacities (as implicated in SDT-related findings)...and (2) the broadening of social life contexts inherent within the Washington State’s Grade Level Expectations for Social Studies…, films like Black Panther (2018) that readily portray characters expressing diverse viewpoints may assist educators in their goals of fostering the development of thoughtful, considerate, and respectful citizens.”