Foucault’s ethical self-formation and David’s articulation of a creative self

Abstract

Much has been written about creativity in education policy and about how the concept is mediated in institutions like schools and universities. Although constructs like ‘creative teachers’ and ‘teachers that foster creativity’ are highly prevalent in the literature, there are few situated and contextualised accounts of what such constructs mean to the protagonist. The extent to which teachers co-opt or align themselves with discourses of creativity can be recast as a question of identity: What beliefs on creativity and associated practices are constitutive of one’s ‘teacher identity?’ This article draws on previous work that translates Foucault’s writings on ethical self-formation into an ‘identity grid’, and foregrounds the experiences of one teaching deputy-principal, to offer an account of how one teacher pursues particular practices congruent with his visions of a creative teacher. To identify rationales for actions undertaken, and to engage with situational factors of this teacher’s work, performativity and its problematic steering influences also informs this analysis. The article highlights the productive capacity of engagement with ethical self-formation, through identifying the potential it offers to access an individual-centric perspective in understanding how central concepts like creativity are negotiated and incorporated into accounts of the ‘teaching self’.

Keywords:

• Creativity
• ethical self-formation
• Foucault
• identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Pseudonym.

2 The NSW Department of Education (NSWDE), was previously known as the NSW Department of Education and Communities. It is responsible for the coordination of education services at all levels from early childhood to higher education in the state of NSW, Australia.

3 Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.

4 The HSC is the Higher School Certificate, an examination for students on completion of studies in high schools throughout New South Wales, Australia.

5 Australian Music Examinations Board.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kevin Gormley

Kevin Gormley is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the School of Arts Education and Movement, Institute of Education, Dublin City University. His PhD thesis, completed at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, analysed how the concept of creativity is discursively constructed in education policy and practice. Kevin’s work is published in Critical Studies in Education and Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.