Performativity, Politics and Education: From Policy to Philosophy

This book provides a distinctive perspective on some of the ways in which performativity, as an expression of neoliberal and managerialist thinking, ‘works’ in specific policy contexts. It pays particular attention to higher education and considers how the logic of performativity reconfigures our sense of what it means to engage in worthwhile research, what it means to be ‘well’, and, ultimately, what it means to be human.

Philosophy of education, conceived not just as a domain of scholarly activity but as a way of life, rubs against the grain of performativity. In a performance-driven world, efficiency, measurability and predictability are all important. A philosophical life in education is often unpredictable, uncertain and ‘inefficient’; it creates a kind of intellectual restlessness that can never be fully satisfied.

Performativity, Politics and Education: From Policy to Philosophy suggests that the current obsession with productivity, performance and prosperity is misguided. It argues that policies and practices underpinned by the principle of performativity are dehumanising and offers an alternative approach: an orientation to education grounded in a philosophy of hope and underpinned by a commitment to collegiality, constructive critique and ongoing dialogue.