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Marxism Against Postmodernism in Educational Theoryreviewed by Dan Butin - 2004 Title: Marxism Against Postmodernism in Educational Theory Author(s): Dave Hill, Peter McLaren, Mike Cole, Glenn Rikowski (Eds.) Publisher: Lexington Books, Lanham, MD ISBN: 0739103466, Pages: 364, Year: 2002 Search for book at Amazon.com Glenn Rikowski and Peter McLaren, in the opening paragraph of
this edited volume, sound the clarion call loudly and
clearly: “In many parts of the capitalist world,
postmodern politics still attests to contemporary relevance.
Indeed, it claims to be the only politics available. The
authors of this book collectively discern a need to clear the decks
of such junk theory and debilitating ‘political’
posturing because of the urgent tasks ahead for socialists”
(p. 3).
This book brings together a group of prominent American and
British critical theorists to question postmodernism and argue for
refocusing educational research towards the Marxist emphasis on
capital as determining educational and social practices. The
headings of the main sections – “Postmodern
Excess,” “Human Resistance Against
Postmodernism,” and “Pedagogy, Reprise and
Conclusion” – are clear signs of the take-no-prisoners
approach to be found throughout the book.
I should note that the critical issues the authors raise
concerning inequity, social justice, and the importance of
class-based analysis in education continue to be extremely
relevant. Glaring achievement gaps across... (preview truncated at 150 words.)To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropriate membership. Please review your options below:
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- Dan Butin
Gettysburg College E-mail Author DAN W. BUTIN is an assistant professor of education at Gettysburg
College. His research focuses on the intersections of critical multiculturalism,
poststructuralist thought, and alternative pedagogical strategies. His
current project investigates the potential of service learning to disrupt the
norms of Whiteness in teacher education. His recent work has appeared in
Educational Researcher and Educational Studies.
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