Neoliberalism, Critical Pedagogy and Education

This volume examines the role of neoliberalism and its impact on education in South Asia. It contends that education is in a state of crisis across the world. This is reflected not only in the way the state has withdrawn to pave way for private capital but also in the manner in which knowledge and ways of understanding the world are being challenged by manipulation and adverse influences. A process of 'factoryisation' is underway as disciplining of human minds and redefinition of the purpose of human existence are being geared to fall in line with the needs of private capital. The book brings together incisive contributions from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal to explore newer possibilities to deal with the educational crisis, and looks at a range of critical themes in education: pedagogy, teacher-learner relationship, teacher education, the state of the university, and policy. Rich in content, critical and insightful, this book will be a valuable addition for scholars and researchers of education and education policy, sociology, public policy and South Asian Studies.

Ravi Kumar teaches in the Department of Sociology at South Asian University, New Delhi, India, and is associated with the Global Centre for Advanced Studies as part of its faculty. He was previously a Visiting Faculty member at Anglia Ruskin University and taught at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Kumar's recent works include Education, State and Market: Anatomy of Neoliberal Impact (2014), Social Movements: Transformative Shifts and Turning Points (2013) and Education and the Reproduction of Capital: Neoliberal Knowledge and Counterstrategies (2012). He is Associate Editor of the Society and Culture in South Asia and a member of the editorial collective of the Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies. He is also co-editor of the book series 'Social Movements, Dissent and Transformative Action' (Routledge).

Dedication Acknowledgement Introduction Part 1: Neoliberalism, Critical Pedagogy and Education: Critical Theoretical Perspectives on Educational Crisis 1. Critical Pedagogy and Class Struggle in the Age of Neoliberal Terror 2. Transformative Education, Critical Education, Marxist Education: Possibilities and Alternatives to the Restructuring of Education in Global Neoliberal / Neoconservative Times 3. Teaching for transformation, diversity and equality in the Teacher Education system in England Part 2: Neoliberalism in Education in South Asia 4. State and Education Privatization in Nepal 5. Neo-liberalism and Education in Pakistan: An Appraisal and Alternative Plan 6. Neoliberal State, Rural Dispossession and Struggles for Education Part 3: Politics of Knowledge Production under Neoliberalism 7. Countering the Hegemony of 'Hegemony' in Social Science; A Marxist Critique of "Subaltern" Pedagogy in Indian Academia 8. Neo-liberalism in Higher Education and the Brahminical Hegemony of Knowledge Production: Challenges of Bringing Voices of the Oppressed 9. Everyday Discourse of Neoliberalism: Hypothesizing a Dialogic Alternative 10. Not Yet, a Stalemate!: Pedagogical Possibilities in Teaching South Asian Students 11. Contextualizing curriculum in contemporary times: Issues and Alternatives 12. Politics of the Teacher-Learner Relationship and Shifts in Educational Policy in Sri Lanka 13. The University As Institution: Transforming The Modern Part 4: Perspectives on resisting neoliberalism in education 14. Neoliberal Approach to Governance Reform in the Universities: A Critique and a Possible Alternative 15. Resisting Neoliberal Restructuring of Education and Reclaiming the Critical Educational Space 16. Neo-Liberal Education and Critical Social Movements: The Implications for Democracy 17. Education for Self-Liberation: Challenges for Civic and Political Education in the 21st Century