Neoliberal Governmentality in the European UnionEducation.docx
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Neoliberal Governmentality in the European UnionEducation.docx
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NeoliberalGovernmentalityintheEuropeanUnionEducation
NeoliberalGovernmentalityintheEuropeanUnion:
Education,TrainingandTechnologiesofCitizenship
by
KatharyneMitchell
Forthcoming:
EnvironmentandPlanningD:
SocietyandSpace
Introduction
Asapoliticalphilosophyofgovernanceneoliberalismisanongoingformationwithdifferentmomentsandsitesinitsevolutionarytrajectory.Althougharticulatedandimplementedindifferentwaysdependingoncontextmostscholars—acrossdisciplines—concurthatitisaphilosophypremisedonamantraofmarketrationalityandtheactiveencouragementoflaissez-faireeconomicsystemsworldwide.(seee.g.Steger,2004;TickellandPeck,2003;ComaroffandComaroff,2001;Giroux,2004;Gill,2003).
Muchofthescholarshiponneoliberalismcanbebrokendownintothreedistinctanalyticalcategories:
aspolicyframework,asideology,orasviewedthroughthelensofgovernmentality(Larner,2000).Withrespecttotheprovisionofempiricaldataitisneoliberalismasseenthroughthelensofgovernmentalitythatismostcommonlyunder-researched.Governmentalitycanbeunderstoodasawayofexplainingtheestablishmentandexerciseofpoliticalpower,oneinwhichtheconceptofgovernmentisbroaderthanmanagementbythestate;italsoinvolvestheregulationofpopulationsthroughmultipleinstitutionsandtechnologiesinsociety.InFoucault’sconceptualization,governmentalityrefersto“theconductofconduct”andrangesfromthegoverningofothersinallaspectsoflifetothegoverningoftheself(Foucault,1991).Theseprocesses,moreover,aremutuallyconstitutive,indicating“howthemodernsovereignstateandthemodernautonomousindividualco-determineeachother’semergence”(Lemke,2001:
192).Governmentalityalsotakesmanyformsinsociety,fromtheguidanceoffamiliestotheethicsofcareandthemanagementofthesoul(see,e.g.theworkofDonzelot,1979,Blochetal,2003;Cruikshank,1999;Rose,1990).
Criticsofthisliteraturepointoutthatdespitethetheoreticalcallfordetailed,in-depthanalysesofthecirculationofpowerinmultipleempiricalsitesanddespitetheintellectualheritageofFoucault,moststudiesofgovernmentalityaregenerallyabstractedfromactually-existingsubjectsandspaces(seeLarner,2000;O’Malley,1996;Frankel,1997).Becauseofthistheworkoftenseemstop-heavyandseamless,withaninexorableandinescapablequalitytothesituationsandtransformationsdepictedbygovernmentalityscholars;itdoesnotadequatelyengagewithhowandinwhatwayspeopleareconstitutedandruledasneoliberalsubjectsthroughthemany‘technologies’and‘assemblages’ofstatepowersobrilliantlyoutlinedbythetheorists.
Weneedtoencouragemoreexcavationsoftheextensionofneoliberalgovernmentalityinmultiple,evolvingformsandsitesandfromboth‘top-down’perspectives—i.e.theformationsofpoliticalrationalities:
newstatetechnologiesandpolicyinitiatives,thedefinitionsofnewdiscursivefields,ideologiesofself-control,etc.;andfromso-called‘bottom-up’realms—theprocessesandformsofsubjectivityformationoftheenterprisingindividualovertime:
thegeneralandparticularresponsestonewtechnologiesandrationalitiesofstateinstitutionsandactors,theevasions,resistances,enablements,exclusionsand/ormotivationsforindividualbehaviorwhichoccuralongsideandinrelationtonewformsofcontemporary“government.”
Thisisobviouslyadauntingtaskandthusmycaveatisthattheseprojects—suchastheoneIoutlinehere—shouldbeconsideredexperimentsinputtingtogetherseveralpiecesofanultimatelyincompletepuzzle.Ratherthansplittingthemapart,Ibelievewemusttheorizeideologicalcoercionanddirectdominancealongsideandinconjunctionwithvariousformsofconsent,persuasionandtechnologiesoftheself,thusinterrogatinghowtheseprocessesfunctionconjointlyintheextensionofneoliberalismworldwide(cf.Sparke,2004).Iattempttodothisherethroughaninvestigationofrecentshiftsinthephilosophy,practiceandexperienceofeducationalreformspromotedforhighschoolsstudentsbytheEuropeanUnion(EU)overthepastdecade.
Educationisacriticalsiteinwhichtodothiskindofanalysis;notonlyisthelinkbetweentheformationofschoolsandtheformationofsocietyavitaloneintermsofunderstandingtheshiftingtechnologiesofcitizenshipandstate-societyrelationsthroughtime(see,e.g.Hall,1981),butalsostudents(i.e.children)areparticularlyimpressionable‘subjects’whoseformationinschoolsandfamilieshashistoricallybeenofgreatinteresttohegemonicpowersworldwide(Blochetal,2003;Franklinetal,2004).
TheEUisanimportantcontemporaryvenueinthisregardaswell,asitisnowundergoinganumberofcriticalchanges.TheincreaseinMemberStatesfrom15to25inMay,2004hasalreadyhadnumerousramificationsforneoliberaleconomicpolicy(see,e.g.Smith,2002).Butperhapsmoreimportantly,newmethodsofgovernancesuchastheOMC(OpenMethodofCoordination)reflecttheextensionofneoliberalgovernmentalityinallspheresofsocialandciviclife(WaltersandHaahr,2005;SavioandPalola,2004).Overallthesechangeshavegreatimplicationsforeducationandtraining,employmentandsocialinclusion,andtheconstitutionofyoung“European”subjects.
SpecificallyinthispaperIarguethatincreasinglyneoliberalformsofgovernmentalityareevidentintheEducationandCulturedirectorateoftheEuropeanCommission(EC).Thisisespeciallythecasevis-à-vistheinstitutionalphilosophyofhowimmigrantsandsecondgeneration“minorities”shouldbebestintegrated(througheducation)intoEuropeansociety.Boththepoliciesandtheprogramsassociatedwitheducationandtrainingarebecomingmoreorientedtowardstheformationofmobile,flexibleandself-governingEuropeanlaborersandlessorientedtowardsaninstitutionalizedaffirmationofcivicawarenessortheimportanceofrespectforandvaluationofindividualandgroupdifference.Thisrepresentsafairlysubstantivephilosophicalandpracticaltransformationoverthepastfivetotenyears.
IneducationalaffairstheEC’sexplicitroleistoencouragecooperationbetweenMemberStatesandtodevelopa“European”dimensionintherealmofeducation.TheinculcationofaEuropeandimensionwasinitiallyformulated,atleastinpart,asinvolvingtheincorporationofminorities(mainlyimmigrants)whohadnotbeeneffectivelyintegratedwithintheirnationalsocieties.Forexample,EdithCresson,theeducationcommissionerfrom1995-1999,wrotein1998:
Acrossthecommunity,theproportionofdenizenslivingintheMemberStatesisboundtoriseinthedecadestocomeasaconsequenceofmobilitybetweenMemberStatesaswellasinflowsintotheCommunityfromtheoutside,andtheassertionoftherighttodifferencebyminoritygroups—indigenousorotherwise—isnowawell-establishedfeatureofEuropeansocialandpoliticallife.ThismeansthatlearningtolivepositivelywithdifferenceanddiversityisbecomingacoredimensionofthepracticeofcitizenshipinEurope.
ThistypeofminorityincorporationwasprojectedtobebeneficialfortheoverallaimofincreasingEuropeansocialcohesion,anddocumentssuchastheaboveencouragededucationalprogramsandexchangesfortheexpresspurposeofpromotingtheculturalawarenessofdifferenceaspositiveforEurope.TheEC’sefforttocreateademocraticcitizenofEuropewasacleareducationalconsideration—atleastintermsofanarrativeofeffectivegovernance.Theearlyconceptoflifelonglearning,forexample,whichwasinitiallypromulgatedinthe1970sbynon-governmentalorganizationssuchasUNESCO,concernedtheholisticformationofawell-rounded,civicallyaware,personallyfulfilledandcritically-mindedcitizen.ThisemphasislingeredforatimeinECdocumentsaswell.
Overthelastseveralyearshowever,onecandiscernashifttoadifferentkindofemphasisparticularlywithrespecttotheconstitutionandtrainingofEuropeanlaborers.Thenewprogramprioritiesfocusonindividualpragmatismandontheskillsandmobilityneededforeconomicsuccessratherthanontheformationofademocraticpersonoperatingwithintheframeworkof“ethicalliberalism”.Themostfrequentreferencesincontemporaryeducation-relateddocumentsandprogramsaretoglobalcompetitiveness,ashiftinglabormarket,andthenecessitytoconstantlyadapttoachangingknowledge-basedeconomy.Perpetualmobilizationandconstantmovementarepresentedastheanswerstothe‘inescapable’ramificationsofglobalization,aswellastothechangingtermsofemploymentandthenational‘problems’ofintegrationforimmigrants.
ThiscurrentrhetoricisaccompaniedbymultipleEUtreatieswhichpromotethestandardization,homogenizationandinternationalcertificationofeducationalskills,allowingandencouragingagreatermobilityacrossinternationalborders.Andinsteadofaconceptemphasizingdemocratictools,personaldevelopmentandcriticalthinking,lifelonglearninghastransmogrifiedintoaconceptprimarilyaffirmingtheconstantformationandreformationofworkskills(seeBagnall,2000;MathesonandMatheson,1996;forNorthAmericaseePopkewitz,2003).Throughlifelonglearningtheindividualimmigrantnowbecomesaccountableforhisorherowncitizenship‘training’withrespecttoasuccessfuladaptationtothenationandthelabormarketofafast-changingglobaleconomy.
This,Iwouldargue,ispartofabroaderdevolutionofresponsibilitytotheindividualimmigrantforassimilatingeffectivelyintothelabormarket,thehostnationandEuropeansocietyatlarge(cf.Mitchell,2004b;Backetal,2002).Inrecentpronouncements
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