Foucault and Education: Disciplines and Knowledge by Stephen J. Ball
Foucalt's work continues to have an enormous cross-disciplinary influence. This book explores some of his key ideas and concepts in relation to a variety of education contexts and issues. It argues that schools, like prisons and asylums, are often artificial and highly disciplined environments and provide excellent case studies for Foucalt's concern with the technologies of power and domination and the arbitrariness of modern institutions. The essays in this collection approach the subject in different and original ways. Three use historical material to explore aspects of the constitution of modern education. Three examine the role of discourse about education in the contemporary politics of education - the discursive work of the New Right is of particular interest. Other contributions consider the theoretical relevance of Foucalt's work to educational practice, particularly to assessment and educational research.