Teachers, Curriculum and the Neoliberal Imaginary of Education

Abstract

The influence of neoliberalism on education has drawn criticism from education researchers. Neoliberalism is a family of economic and administrative theories that rests on assumptions about the self-interested nature of individuals, the natural capacity of markets to curb and coordinate diverse interests, and the role of government in promoting a pro-market citizenry. The extension of neoliberal ideas to education has been linked to deepening social inequality and educator alienation. In this chapter the effects of neoliberal theory, and Public Choice Theory in particular, on teachers and their curriculum work is explored. The theory of social imaginaries is employed to scaffold analysis. This theory has been embraced by education researchers seeking to comprehend the translation of neoliberal ideas into the imagery, stories and norms that enable everyday social practices. The chapter contends that neoliberal theory has infiltrated educator work and curriculum practice. Implications of the surmised formation of a neoliberal imaginary of education are highlighted. They include embedding a negative ‘moral image’ of the educator in the social imaginary, obfuscation of the initiating concepts and assumptions of neoliberal theory, and the horizon-setting effect of imaginaries that restricts ability to imagine alternatives to neoliberal curriculum practice. Research is needed to investigate the possibility that these implications are being realised in education and to provide bases for challenging the process.