Towards a ‘critical cultural political economy’ account of the globalising of education

Abstract

This paper outlines the basis of an alternative theoretical approach to the study of the globalisation of ‘education’ – a Critical, Cultural Political Economy of Education (CCPEE) approach. Our purpose here is to bring this body of concepts – critical, cultural, political, economy – into our interrogation of globalising projects and processes within what we will refer to as the ‘education ensemble’ as the topic of enquiry, whose authoritative, allocative, ideational and feeling structures, properties and practices, emerge from and play into global economic, political and cultural processes In the first half of the paper we introduce and develop the concepts that will underpin our approach. In the second half of the paper we explore the explanatory potential and epistemic gain of a CCPEE approach by examining the different manifestations of the relationship between globalisation as a political, cultural and economic project and an education ensemble. We conclude by reflecting on the possibilities this perspective offers.

Keywords:

• globalisation
• critical theory
• education ensemble
• political
• cultural
• economy
• critical realism

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to a range of colleagues for very fruitful discussions on the development of these ideas over the past couple of years, in particular Bob Jessop, Ngai-Ling Sum, Peter Jones, the Globalisation, Education and Society's ‘reading group’, Will Brehm, Hanne Mawhinne, Mario Novelli, Toni Verger, John Morgan, Ritesh Shah, Mieke Lopes Cardoso, Xavier Bonal and Iveta Silova.