Most of the literature in educational research, and in philosophy of education specifically, has been clearly appealing to hope in its various forms, in attempts to bring it back, improve it and have more of it. This paper wishes to explore a different terrain. I ask whether there can be a worthwhile education that does not require hope, and I…

In the neoliberal discourse of education, the notion of "truth," as a fantasmatic concept, has a pivotal status. In order to actualise its non-existent yet highly captivating utopia of perfection, progress and prosperity, this discourse needs to present a homogeneous picture of human ontology whose needs and desires can be satisfied as…

This paper is an attempt to summarize the contrast between the respective outlooks of the closed and the open societies, here presented as two separate coherent and consistent sets of ideas, principles, arguments and values. It was originally conceived as support for the thesis that the sense behind the apparent senselessness of our educational…

Through the market-based conception of neoliberal performativity, an interlocking set of socio-economic agendas integrate higher education (HE) in state-level systems of production and accumulation. Within the scope of globalism, the capacity to develop competitive human capital emerges as a proxy indicator of achievement amongst institutions of…

Decolonising work in Higher Education (HE) has become increasingly mainstreamed. One issue is the relationship between such work and that of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI), or the potential reduction and co-option of decolonising for EDI purposes. This article discusses the characterisations of, and drivers for, decolonising inside UK…

We explore social justice advocacy and education from the vantage point of elite theory as articulated in the works of Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto. Elite theory is applied here to re-appraise the explicit and implicit educational means and ends inspired by contemporary social justice along three inter-related dimensions: the place of…

This article examines how financialization and municipal debt operate as constitutive, racializing forces that shape childhoods under neoliberal racial capitalism. Building on Cindi Katz's (2008) theorization of "childhood as spectacle" and Keavy McFadden's (2023) framing of education as an "infrastructure of social…

This article charts a critical history of drawing, as it was taught within "general" schooling in colonial Bombay (now Mumbai), beyond the artisanal workshop, art, and industrial schools. Rather than children's creative or subjective expression as it is commonly seen today, drawing's presence in the school curriculum was a sign of the…

Based on the advantages of virtual reality technology, this paper analyzes the current situation of ideological and political education in colleges and universities, and points out the existing problems and shortcomings. On this basis, the course of ideological and political education for college students based on virtual reality technology is…

The article presents an analysis of Brazilian teaching work and its different expressions in the face of the neoliberal drive of the last three decades. The aim is to understand how market dynamics consolidate a new materiality through the consequences of neoliberalism on/for teaching work. The analysis is based on a Marxist perspective, through…

In this article, we examine the transformative influence of Anthropocene-driven semantics on the education system through Luhmann's social systems theory. We analyze how the historical and current concepts of "Human" and individuality have shaped educational semantics and influenced the system's self-description. Critical perspectives…

This paper draws attention to three risks associated with endorsing authenticity as an overall value in education--"essentialism, narcissism," and "relativism." These concerns mimic debates from the 1970s and 1980s, when both conservatives and progressives wrestled with the cultural fallout of the 1960s political movements. The…

Engineers' contribution to society tends to be located in rational, technical constructs devoid of social and political interests. This paradigm presents a challenge to engineering educators tasked with undergraduate engineering curriculum content that links to society in some way. This article reports on a study undertaken by engineering…

Neoliberalism is becoming more dominant in education internationally. In Hungary, the marketisation of education is well illustrated by the government's 'Vocational Training in the Service of the Economy' development concept and the amendment of the vocational law. My main question is how the capitalist system reproduces itself through vocational…

This article begins with an overview of the literature on language commodification and the Marxist critiques of this concept. I argue that, while these critiques have raised pertinent issues surrounding the concept of language commodification, they are limited by their reliance on Karl Polanyi's notion of fictitious commodification, which suggests…