Resisting the Heartbreak of Neoliberalism in Education Advocacy

Authors

  • Beyhan Farhadi Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v15i2.186895

Keywords:

privatization, public education, neoliberlism, resistance, activism

Abstract

This paper explores how advocates in Ontario have resisted neoliberal restructuring in education since the 2018 general election, which marked an intensification of market-oriented reforms. Shaped by the insights of 23 participants, this paper shows how resistance has been accessed through multiple entry points and has been spatially heterogeneous, replete with internal contradiction. It also highlights the cost of resistance for participants whose relationship to systems engender oppression and harm. Broadly, this paper calls for vulnerable reflection on fantasies of a “good life” shaped by a normative neoliberal order that interferes with collective flourishing. Through emergent strategy, which aligns action with a vision for social justice, this paper values the non-linear and manifold ways individuals are embedded in systems; the fractal nature of change, which takes place at all scales; and a love ethic, which sustains relational the spiritual growth necessary for solidarity.

Author Biography

Beyhan Farhadi, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Beyhan Farhadi is an assistant professor of educational policy and equity at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. She researches education, technology, and policy enactment in public schools; teacher leadership and activism; and resistance to market-driven neoliberal education reforms. Her work is oriented toward transforming – rather than reforming – the conditions of social injustice.

Issue cover. Critical Education Volume 15 Number 2 ISBN 1920 4175

Downloads

Published

2024-04-28

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2024): Defending and Strengthening Public Education as a Common Good

Section

Defending and Strengthening Public Education as a Common Good

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Beyhan Farhadi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with Critical Education agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).