Faculty Research

/https://siu.edu/search-results.php

Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025, 10:32 AM

Alex J. Armonda

Alex J. ArmondaAlex J. Armonda serves as Assistant Professor (Curriculum Theory) in the School of Education. He teaches courses on educational foundations in the Curriculum and Instruction program. Alex started his career in education as a middle school ELA teacher in Chicago. Prior to arriving at SIU, he earned his PhD at UT Austin (Cultural Studies in Education). Alex's research explores new intersections in critical pedagogy, critical theory, and educational philosophy.

Research Spotlight

In August, Alex published his first book, A Lacanian Foundation for Critical Pedagogy.

This new book sets out from Paulo Freire's claim that the problem-posing model of education works as a “kind of psychoanalysis,” and deploys a Lacanian perspective to rearticulate the theoretical and practical principles of critical pedagogy.

A Lacanian Foundation for Critical Pedagogy is now available for purchase through Bloomsbury in hardcover, and (soon) in open access format through Bloomsbury Collections.

A Lacanian Foundation for Critical Pedagogy

Earlier this year, Alex also published a new edited volume (with De Lissovoy and Bailón) titled Teaching as Radical Logic.

Starting from an engagement with the philosophical traditions of dialectics and analectics, and challenging familiar partitions between academic orientations and disciplines, this volume extends currents in critical theory to offer original analyses of the fundamental organization of capitalism and coloniality in schooling and beyond.

A Lacanian Foundation for Critical PedagogyIn addition to serving as editor, Alex also contributed a chapter to this volume (alongside Adam Martinez). Teaching as Radical Logic is available for purchase in both hardcover and e-book formats.

Conclusion

Alex is excited to share his recent research with the SIU community, but he believes that studying and learning with SIU students is the best part of the job. Alex's work has found a welcoming home at SIU, and he is eager to share that home with prospective graduate and undergraduate students who are committed to the critical study of education.