Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education

The global emergence of market liberalism marks an effort to decouple the link between citizenship and the welfare state and to rearticulate people’s identity as homo economicus, as independent citizens having the right to property and the freedom to choose in the marketplace. Confronting this phen...

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1. Verfasser: Youl-Kwan Sung
Format: Artikel
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: University of the Free State 2010-12-01
Schriftenreihe:Perspectives in Education
Schlagworte:
Online Zugang:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/56
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author Youl-Kwan Sung
author_facet Youl-Kwan Sung
author_sort Youl-Kwan Sung
collection DOAJ
description The global emergence of market liberalism marks an effort to decouple the link between citizenship and the welfare state and to rearticulate people’s identity as homo economicus, as independent citizens having the right to property and the freedom to choose in the marketplace. Confronting this phenomenon, this paper reviews neoliberal and libertarian understandings of educational equality and democratic education and interrogates the rationale for the justification of markets in education. In the process, I criticise the notion of possessive individualism as a principle of democratic education on the grounds that such a notion explains human action only at the individual level, as a matter of free will, and not as a part of the cultural and political struggle for nondiscrimination. I also provide reasons why the claim to equal respect and recognition needs to be given more importance in education and argue for the social responsibility to secure not only students’ educational opportunities, but also their opportunity to reflectively consider what counts as equal value.
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spelling doaj.art-7a45581d8b3b4cbbbc3c4506baf3c9c92024-03-07T11:18:46ZengUniversity of the Free StatePerspectives in Education0258-22362519-593X2010-12-01284Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of educationYoul-Kwan Sung0Kyung-Hee University, South Korea The global emergence of market liberalism marks an effort to decouple the link between citizenship and the welfare state and to rearticulate people’s identity as homo economicus, as independent citizens having the right to property and the freedom to choose in the marketplace. Confronting this phenomenon, this paper reviews neoliberal and libertarian understandings of educational equality and democratic education and interrogates the rationale for the justification of markets in education. In the process, I criticise the notion of possessive individualism as a principle of democratic education on the grounds that such a notion explains human action only at the individual level, as a matter of free will, and not as a part of the cultural and political struggle for nondiscrimination. I also provide reasons why the claim to equal respect and recognition needs to be given more importance in education and argue for the social responsibility to secure not only students’ educational opportunities, but also their opportunity to reflectively consider what counts as equal value. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/56NeoliberalismLibertarianismMarket-based education reformDemocratic education
spellingShingle Youl-Kwan Sung
Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
Perspectives in Education
Neoliberalism
Libertarianism
Market-based education reform
Democratic education
title Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
title_full Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
title_fullStr Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
title_full_unstemmed Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
title_short Markets, equality and democratic education: Confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
title_sort markets equality and democratic education confronting the neoliberal and libertarian reconceptualisations of education
topic Neoliberalism
Libertarianism
Market-based education reform
Democratic education
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/56
work_keys_str_mv AT youlkwansung marketsequalityanddemocraticeducationconfrontingtheneoliberalandlibertarianreconceptualisationsofeducation