Praise for Marxism Against Postmodernism in Educational Theory
The importance of a work that grounds critical educational theory in its Marxist foundations and that constitutes an uncompromising socialist project dedicated to educating toward a just society, cannot be understated. This book will provocatively engage all scholars who consider the multiple roles of schooling in society.
Jill Pinkey Pastrana , California State University, Long Beach
For those of us who still dare to envision a world liberated from the imperatives of capital and the brutalities of market-discipline, the individual and collective efforts of Glenn Rikowski, Mike Cole, Dave Hill, and Peter McLaren help us all sustain our cautious optimism for the future.
David Gabbard , East Carolina University
I applaud the books timeliness and its authors courage.
Zeus Leonardo , California State University, Long Beach
There is undoubtedly a need for a contemporary rigorous Marxist-inspired critique of postmodernism and poststructuralism in educational settings and this book is certainly that.
British Journal of Educational Studies
The essential message is that Marxism still matters, and this collection highlights the importance of this perspective in educational theory.
Educational Research
The scholarship is impressive.... It is a book which will certainly be of interest to any educators who want to build a society where socialism can flourish.
Journal of In-Service Education
Quite simply, this is a brilliant book.
Paula Allman , University of Nottingham
This book is an aid to thought, not just interpretation. Its central theme (that education is of necessity a political activity) is one that needs debate outside the walls of academia.
Times Educational Supplement
LEXINGTON BOOKS
Published in the United States of America
by Lexington Books
A Member of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, Maryland 20706
PO Box 317
Oxford
OX2 9RU, UK
Copyright @ 2002 by Dave Hill, Peter McLaren, Mike Cole, and Glenn Rikowski
Cover artwork by Roger Hill
All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marxism against postmodernism in educational theory / edited by Dave Hill ... [et al.].
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Postmodernism in educational theory. 1999.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
9780739157558
1. Communism and education. 2. Socialism and education. 3. Postmodernism and education. I. Hill, Dave, 1945II. Postmodernism in educational theory.
HX526 .M35 2002
370.1dc21
2001050669
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.481992.
Table of Contents
Praise for Marxism Against Postmodernism in Educational Theory
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Part I - Introduction
Chapter 1 - Postmodernism in Educational Theory
Chapter 2 - Prelude: Marxist Educational Theory after Postmodernism
Part II - Postmodern Excess
Chapter 3 - Breaking Signifying Chains: A Marxist Position on Postmodernism
Chapter 4 - Structuring the Postmodern in Education Policy
Chapter 5 - Resistance Postmodernism Progressive Politics or Rhetorical Left Posturing?
Part III - Human Resistance against Postmodernism
Chapter 6 - Education, Capital and the Transhuman
Chapter 7 - Youth, Training and the Politics of Cool
Chapter 8 - Marxism, Class Analysis and Postmodernism
Chapter 9 - Racism, Postmodernism and the Flight from Class
Chapter 10 - Women, Work and the Family: Or Why Postmodernism Cannot Explain the Links
Part IV - Pedagogy, Reprise and Conclusion
Chapter 11 - Recentering Class: Wither Postmodernism? Toward a Contraband Pedagogy
Chapter 12 - Postmodernism Adieu: Toward a Politics of Human Resistance
Bibliography
Index
About the Contributors
Preface
This book is an expanded and partially updated version of our earlier Postmodernism in Educational Theory:Education and the Politics of Human Resistance. For this Lexington Books edition there are two completely new chapterschapter 2, Glenn Rikowskis Prelude: Marxist Educational Theory after Postmodernism, and chapter 3, Peter McLaren and Ramin Farahmandpurs Breaking Signifying Chains: A Marxist Position on Postmodernism. A number of other chapters have been substantially revised. These are Glenn Rikowski and Peter McLarens chapter 1, Introduction: Postmodernism in Educational Theory, Mike Cole and Dave Hills chapter 5, Resistance PostmodernismProgressive Politics or Rhetorical Left Posturing? and chapter 8, Marxism, Class Analysis and Postmodernism by Dave Hill, Mike Sanders and Ted Hankin.
We want to thank, in particular, Jason Hallman at Lexington Books for his interest, encouragement and advice regarding the realization of this new and expanded edition, which allows us to gain wider access to a United States and international readership. Jason has been unfailingly courteous, encouraging and enthusiastic throughout the revision and production process.
We also thank Robert Albury and Janet Holland at Tufnell Press for encouraging us, in 1998, to write the original first edition. They provided tremendous support, technical expertise and understanding in our original enterprise.
And for both editions, we thank Christie Fox of Running Heads Editorials for her insightful, expert and humorous editorial advice and work.
Things have moved very quickly since that Tufnell Press edition of Postmodernism in Educational Theory appeared in late 1999, both in terms of political events and in terms of the intellectual analysis and portrayal of those events, as well as the deepening capitalization and commodification of humanity. The pace of privatization and marketization in education has quickened, spurred on by drive of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to open the doors of all sectors of education to profit-making and the law of money (see chapter 2, and Glenn Rikowskis book The Battle in Seattle: Its Significance for Education ). However, the events in Seattle in late 1999 have given the Left in general and the educational Left new heart and confidence, with subsequent anticapitalist protests in Washington, Davos, Prague and elsewhere maintaining the spirit of Seattle. Since Seattle, radical educators have turned the spotlight on the WTOs education agenda. The cover is being blown on the relationship between the agenda of the WTO and other international capitalist organizations for education and the increasing takeovers of schools, colleges and universities by corporate capital. It is an issue we took up in our booklet, Red Chalk: On Schooling, Capitalism and Politics (itself, a substantially expanded version of our interview in the International Journal of Education Reform ). We look forward to further work from the educational Left along these lines.