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Education Research Seminar – 8th December

The Education Research Centre and School of Education presented this seminar on Thursday 8th December 2016:

Negotiating Neoliberal Education: Refraction, resistance and reimagination 

Ivor Goodson, Professor of Learning Theory and Dr Tim Rudd, Principal Lecturer, University of Brighton

This seminar presented insights and key issues from the edited book: Negotiating Neo Liberalism: Developing Alternative Educational Visions. The book looks at the origins of neoliberalism and its development in relation to recent historical periods, highlighting various outcomes and effects, as well as how it has been mediated or refracted in different contexts, sectors, states and through individual practice. It is contended that following the financial crisis of 2007, a new ‘reconstituted’ period of neoliberalism has driven ideologically informed policies into the heart of education, which will change the landscape irrevocably. However, whilst the neoliberal hegemony appears complete and its discourse all encompassing, it is suggested that it may actually be fragile and that we are reaching the downside of this current dominant wave of reform. The book focuses on the agency and actions of institutions, groups and individuals that mediate policies and the reasons underpinning these refractions. It suggests that it is in such action that the seeds for reimagining an alternative educational future may be found.

Slides from the talk can be accessed here:

2016 UoB Short version Goodson and Rudd1 –1fko9nc

You can hear Tim Rudd discussing the book here (1 minute podcast):

 

You can listen to Ivor Goodson discussing neoliberalism as a concept here (16 minutes):