The uneducated and the politics of knowing in ‘post truth’ times: Ranciere, populism and in/equality

ABSTRACT

Contemporary politics has brought the figure of the ‘uneducated’ into glaring view, from Trump’s ‘love’ of the ‘poorly educated’ to analyses suggesting a supposed ‘uneducated populous’ is responsible for the rise of far-right politics. In this paper I respond to this so-called ‘post-truth’ contemporary moment by considering how education underpins many ‘progressive’ or ‘left’ responses to rightist political impulses and flesh out the repercussions of such a stance. Specifically, I explore the ramifications for the notion of the ‘educated’ through a critical reading of political philosopher Jacques Ranciere. I suggest the need to understand the question of education (and ‘poor education’) within the context of capitalist political interests and the linking of educational institutions with elitism and power.

KEYWORDS:

• Education
• equality
• populism
• post-truth
• Ranciere
• uneducated
• knowledge

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Gendered language has been amended to reflect gender-neutral terminology throughout.