Interrogating Neoliberalism and Cruel Optimism in Education - The Radical Potency of Despair

This book is a philosophical examination of the ways in which neoliberalism underpins and impedes public education. It proposes that education's adoption of neoliberal logic generates a sense of despair amongst educators, who often enter the profession with the hope of building a better, more just world.

List of contents

1. Introduction: "Cruel optimism" and the Desire for the Possibilities of Education 2. Neoliberalism and the Cruel Dissolution of Optimism in Education 3. Tracking the "Ordinariness" of Violence that Appears in and through Education 4. Revisiting the (Mis)Promises of "Critical Pedagogy" in Neoliberal Times 5. Interrupting "Survival Time:" Pausing to "Pass Time" Together 6. Pausing to Look: Recuperating the Educational in "Survival Time" 7. Postscript: The Radical Potency of Despair

About the author

Louise Azzarello (PhD) is a course director in the Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto. Her ongoing scholarship is informed by her background in cultural studies, philosophy of education, and draws on her 27 years as a high school educator.

Summary

This book is a philosophical examination of the ways in which neoliberalism underpins and impedes public education. It proposes that education’s adoption of neoliberal logic generates a sense of despair amongst educators, who often enter the profession with the hope of building a better, more just world.

Product details

• Authors: Louise Azzarello
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.04.2025
• EAN: 9781032933689
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3293368-9
• No. of pages: 164
• Series: Routledge Studies in Education, Neoliberalism, and Marxism
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Education system; EDUCATION / Philosophy, Theory & Social Aspects, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Capitalism, PHILOSOPHY / Movements / Critical Theory, EDUCATION / Teacher & Student Mentoring, teacher training, Secondary Schools, Philosophy & theory of education, Educational strategies & policy, Philosophy and theory of education, Educational strategies and policy