One particular insight that I came
across in a secondary source (Foucault
and Marxism: rewriting the theory of historical materialism, Mark Olssen),
is that Foucault intentionally situates discourses in terms of other discourses.
In hindsight, this seems like an obvious idea to me; after all, Foucault’s
philosophy emphasizes interconnectedness to an amazing extent. With this in
mind I began looking for other discourses that I could frame the educational
within. I did not have to look very far, I chanced upon a strongly related, but
much more pervasive, neoliberal discourse.
I have, up until now, thought of
neoliberalism in a global economic sense. The trends and processes that have
led to the distinction and decline of the third-world, as well as the
proliferation of the power of the international corporation. However, it seems that
free-market ideology is, according to many sociologist, much more prevalent in
the public or civil sphere.
Most of
these secondary sources are by the sociologist Henry Giroux are oriented
towards the explication of neoliberal politics and their effects on democracy.
Namely, that neoliberal thought opposes and subverts democratic ideals. In the context
of higher education, Giroux contends that neoliberal thought has compelled many
universities to adopt a business like model. This business model leads to more
corporate influence in higher education and in curriculums geared more towards
preparation for the workplace and less for the critical thought necessary to
make informed democratic decisions. An increased emphasis on professional
studies, in other words, on instrumental skills, runs counter to the emphasis
on critical thinking.
As I
continue I will look to see to what extent Giroux’s ideas are relevant to my discussion
of curriculum change here at Drury and how his ideas of these driving forces
pan out in terms of Foucault’s thoughts. It is possible that neoliberal
political ideas could explain how power is distributed, or how power
distribution is changing.
Giroux, Henry A. Against the
Terror of Neoliberalism: Politics beyond the Age of Greed. Boulder, CO:
Paradigm Publishers, 2008.
Giroux, Henry A. Twilight of the
Social: Resurgent Publics in the Age of Disposability. Boulder, CO:
Paradigm Publishers, 2012.
Logan,
ReplyDeleteThis makes a lot of sense (then again, a lot of things make sense when we talk about discourses because that's just how things are). Educational institutions reward their highest donors with power positions that determine the trajectory of the institution (i.e. the Board of Trustees). This may be a stretch, but sense these people tend to be successful business owners, and it would make sense if they wanted to shift an educational institutions curriculum to fit their expectations. Then again, I could just be drawing unwarranted conclusions.
Cory,
DeleteIt seems to me that you have not offered up (terminal)conclusions, but (contingent)possibilities. The next step would be to investigate whether your proposed understanding has merit. I appreciate your thought. The more thoughts, or discussion in general, the more likely my investigation can yield possibilities.