Phronesis Through GIS: Exploring Political Spaces of Education∗

¹ I would like to thank Mei-Po Kwan and Tim Schwanen for organizing the sessions on Critical Quantitative Geographies at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Geographers in San Francisco in 2007, which provided the impetus for this article; and for their valuable comments and suggestions on an earlier draft. Special thanks to the referees for their very helpful feedback and insights. Funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council 410-2005-2452 is gratefully acknowledged.

Abstract

Distilling the different ways that neoliberal regimes have impacted the governance of public policy and planning is as much a political maneuvering exercise as it is a scholarly endeavor. The process of empirical research that attempts to uncover such impacts is from the very beginning fraught with numerous problems: sifting through rhetorical ambiguities, dealing with agenda-makers and data gatekeepers, and navigating through complex bureaucratic layers of regulations. These all appear in a concerted effort to maintain and protect the interests of the rational state model. This frustration, although not uncommon in increasingly controlling and risk-adverse regimes, further necessitates that researchers draw on an alternative repertoire of skills and understandings. Flyvbjerg's (2001) argument toward critical social science advocating a phronetic approach—an Aristotelian value-laden concept highlighting the importance of “practical wisdom, practical judgment, common sense and prudence” (Flyvbjerg 2004, 284) balanced by Foucault's power–knowledge relations—provides a useful framework in navigating through these procedural hurdles. Reflecting on the process of research exploring various impacts of the neoliberalization of education in Ontario, this article argues that using a hybrid form of phronesis—engaged in reflexive practices, hidden knowledge and unorthodox sources—combined with the contextual dimensionality of geographic information systems (GIS) is useful to better understand the structural barriers in place and to develop a sensitivity to the political and ethical implications involved in exploring the conflicting spaces of education.

Destilar las diversas maneras como los regímenes neoliberales han impactado la operación de las políticas públicas y la planificación es a la vez ejercicio sobre el maniobrar político y empeño académico. El proceso de investigación empírica que intente dilucidar tales impactos se ve cargado desde el propio comienzo con numerosos problemas: sortear ambigüedades teóricas, tratar con los encargados de llevar agendas y con guardadores, y navegar a través de la procelosa burocracia de las regulaciones. Todo este conjunto de cosas concurren en el esfuerzo por mantener y proteger los intereses del modelo del estado racional. Esta frustración, que no es rara en regímenes cada vez más apegados a controlarlo todo y adversos a tomar riesgos, requerirá que los investigadores se las ingenien para obtener un repertorio alternativo de habilidades y modos de ver las cosas. El reclamo de Flyvbjerg (2001) por una ciencia social crítica que propugne por un enfoque fronético—un concepto aristotélico cargado de valores que destaca la importancia de “la sabiduría práctica, el juicio práctico, el sentido común y prudencia” (Flyvbjerg 2004, 284) equilibrado por el concepto de relaciones de poder-conocimiento de Foucault—provee un marco útil para navegar a través de todas estas talanqueras procedimentales. Reflexionando sobre el proceso de investigación para explorar los diversos impactos de la neoliberalización educativa en Ontario, este artículo arguye por el uso de una forma híbrida de fronesis—comprometida en prácticas reflexivas, conocimiento oculto y fuentes no ortodoxas—en combinación con la dimensionalidad contextual de los sistemas de información geográfica (SIG), para mejor entener las barreras estructurales del lugar y desarrollar una sensibilidad hacia las implicaciones políticas y éticas que surgen al explicar los espacios conflictivos de la educación.

Key Words:

• geographies of education
• GIS
• neoliberalism
• spatial phronesis

关键词:

• 地理教育
• 地理信息系统
• 新自由主义
• 空间实践智慧

Palabras clave:

• geografías de la educación
• SIG
• neoliberalismo
• fronesis espacial

RANU BASU is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include exploring the neoliberalization of education in Ontario, diversity in public schools, social justice in cities, and critical GIS.

Notes

¹ I would like to thank Mei-Po Kwan and Tim Schwanen for organizing the sessions on Critical Quantitative Geographies at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Geographers in San Francisco in 2007, which provided the impetus for this article; and for their valuable comments and suggestions on an earlier draft. Special thanks to the referees for their very helpful feedback and insights. Funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council 410-2005-2452 is gratefully acknowledged.

¹ Most recently, Leitner, Peck, and Sheppard's (2007) edited volume entitled Contesting Neoliberalism brings together a body of work focusing on the potential of civil society activism in challenging neoliberal urbanizations across multiple fronts.

² http://www.she-philosopher.com (last accessed 19 June 2007).