I’ve been a bit tardy about reviewing this book, so it is no longer new. But it is worthy of attention because it does try to do something original; and also because it fails.
Ostensibly a social theory of the knowledge economy, arising from an ARC Discovery grant on ‘education policy discourse in Australia’ (p. ix), it is actually an attempt at a poetics of absence, although the authors prefer the word ‘politics’ (p. 27), in economic thought.
Hence the title – ‘haunting’ is meant to denote ‘things that are neither fully present nor fully absent’ (p. 6). So, in fact, the book is not about the knowledge economy at all, beyond a literature review of the ‘discourse’ in the first chapter. It is meant to be about the ‘threshold between the perceptible and the imperceptible’, by means of which ‘we are able to identify the ghostly economies haunting the knowledge economy’ (p. 6).
The spectres in question are paraded for our inspection: the risk economy; the gift economy; the libidinal economy; and the survival economy. Each of them gets a chapter.
Thus the book proceeds by fourfold repetition (and one can’t help noticing that there are four authors, although one of them is rendered ghostly by the use of the word ‘with’). This is structurally elegant but chaffs somewhat in the reading, reminding this reviewer that repeating things four times is a standard pedagogical device for preschoolers, triumphantly exploited by the (four) Teletubbies of the eponymous TV series.
Here, then, are the four ghosts in the machine of knowledge:
- The risk economy is not only Ulrich Beck’s sociological ‘risk society’ (the dangers of modernity; the ‘bads’ of goods), but also the risks associated with entrepreneurial or Schumpeterian capitalism, and with commercially oriented techno-science.
- The gift economy, derived from Mauss’s anthropology of exchange to describe the non-market part of the economy, especially the public sector, including education.
- The libidinal economy is Lyotard’s ‘economy of desire’ and commodification; here set up as a pugilistic stand off between the creative industries and avantgarde art (the fight is fixed).
- The survival economy: diversity, sustainability and development; you might expect Ivan Illich’s ideas about frugality, but it is based on the work of Indian ecofeminist, Vandana Shiva.
All of the chapters open with an attempt to unsettle categories, by means of an extended ‘conversation’ (p. 121) between Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and a work called Specters of Marx by philosopher Jacques Derrida. The ‘contact’ for this ghoulish encounter is Karl Marx, whose spectre haunted nineteenth-century capitalism and who himself is treated as spectral – in a good way – by Derrida: ‘For Derrida, the ghost rattles the very foundations of existence and problematizes an ontology based on presence and informed by Heideggarian philosophy’ (p. 4).
In other words (and such passages probably warrant other words), the authors rather like rattling foundations. The book is not therefore an exercise in exorcising shades or unmasking pre-scientific superstitions, but rather it is an attempt to defamiliarise (in the Russian formalist sense); to render the ordinary uncanny, to make it strange in order to renew our understanding.
In a sense, this strategy is good for readers – it provides them with something to do; i.e. to see if they can recognise what lies beneath the ghostly sheets. While playing this game I noticed another shape – a hidden agenda, perhaps? – poking out from under the global theory. Although it is never stated, the authors have a predilection for citing work by women, or Australians, or both. So we get the local in the global: Derrida through Australian Niall Lucy; Schumpeter through Carlota Perez; Beck’s risk through Australian Deborah Lupton; Mauss’s gift through Australian John Frow; Lyotard’s libidinous through QUT (unheimlich!); and survival via Vandana Shiva, Australianised by John Braithwaite, Peter Drahos – and bush tucker.
Such interesting diversions aside, however, the problem with this book lies not in its insistence on uncertainty, but in the all-too-obvious underlying structure. Each chapter is really about something rather familiar:
- risk economy = market capitalism;
- gift economy = public good;
- libidinal economy = consumerism;
- survival economy = postcolonialism.
Thus revealed, it emerges that the clever writing is in the service of a rather banal endeavour, for a ‘moral economy’ is lurking not far in the background and the moralistic judgements are all too predictable: for market capitalism and consumerism, please boo; for public good and postcolonial resistance, please cheer. Just when we thought we might be glimpsing something new, the book simply reinstates academic structural Marxism – a binary opposition between commerce and its others.
That is bad news for readers of HERD, for the ‘knowledge economy’ turns out to have been a ruse to power by techno-scientific neoliberal economic policymakers like yourselves: it is ‘haunted by its own contradictions’; it wants to make ‘knowledge the centrepiece of economic policy’ and ‘economics the centrepiece of knowledge policy (research, education, learning)’ – a desire that is a ‘reductive formula’ (p. 27). Apparently, the dreaded discourse of the knowledge economy ‘proffers its views of itself as and its future trajectory as solid and certain’ (p. 27). The authors want us to think instead, as Marx and Engels famously put it, that ‘all that is solid to melts into air’.
But perhaps you don’t have to worry too much, for in the end the ghost-story is not all that frightening. Far from constructing ‘a distinct social theory for the twentyfirst century’, as claimed by series editor, John Urry (p. viii), Haunting the knowledge economy remains a rhetorical or ideological critique, not a substantial investigation of either knowledge or the economy. Tempting a tart response, it asks: ‘Is it all merely a matter of semantics or something more?’ (p. 12). The authors claim to be ‘scholars of the future’ (p. 120), but their strictures against knowledge-led innovation don’t deliver ‘something more’. They stick firmly to the semantics, spooked by the possibility that the knowledge economy might matter quite substantially. They just want it to go away and leave them alone.
You can buy this book here
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
3/18/09
D Is for Disagreement
In rebuttal to the June 2008 review of our book A Is for Almanac: Complete Lessons to Teach the Use of Reference Sources in Grades K-6, we take issue with several of the reviewer's points. Firstly, formal assessments, in the form of rubrics, are included in all of the curricular units. Worksheets used for reference book lessons can be collected and scored if formal assessments are desired on individual lessons.
As to the issue of the supposed lack of independent practice in some lessons, most library schedules do not allow enough time for independent practice. Independent practice is provided in the use of the reference games and in all of the curricular units.
Differentiation of instruction is a matter between the classroom teacher and the local school librarian, depends on the needs of the individual students, and cannot be addressed in a general book. Accommodations for English Language Learners are included in the lessons by using many visual aids.
The requirement to have 15 paperback copies of dictionaries, thesauri, almanacs, atlases, and two sets of encyclopedias is realistic for most school libraries. Using copied pages of reference books instead of the actual book severely compromises the learning experience. Reference materials are legitimate purchases under Title I programs.
Keeping in mind that the intended students are K-6, we decided to limit Internet searches due to firewalls, filters, and time problems.
As to the use of Wikipedia, we suggested it for schools that do not have subscriptions to online encyclopedias. We referred to James Giles's study that concluded that Wikipedia was accurate enough to be worth using.
The June 2008 review of our book in the University of Iowa's College of Education's publication Remarkable Education states, "This truly useful resource will be a welcome addition to professional collections for elementary schools."
As to the issue of the supposed lack of independent practice in some lessons, most library schedules do not allow enough time for independent practice. Independent practice is provided in the use of the reference games and in all of the curricular units.
Differentiation of instruction is a matter between the classroom teacher and the local school librarian, depends on the needs of the individual students, and cannot be addressed in a general book. Accommodations for English Language Learners are included in the lessons by using many visual aids.
The requirement to have 15 paperback copies of dictionaries, thesauri, almanacs, atlases, and two sets of encyclopedias is realistic for most school libraries. Using copied pages of reference books instead of the actual book severely compromises the learning experience. Reference materials are legitimate purchases under Title I programs.
Keeping in mind that the intended students are K-6, we decided to limit Internet searches due to firewalls, filters, and time problems.
As to the use of Wikipedia, we suggested it for schools that do not have subscriptions to online encyclopedias. We referred to James Giles's study that concluded that Wikipedia was accurate enough to be worth using.
The June 2008 review of our book in the University of Iowa's College of Education's publication Remarkable Education states, "This truly useful resource will be a welcome addition to professional collections for elementary schools."
1/25/09
Approaches to learning: a guide for teachers
Despite its more general title and approach, this is a fabulous book for higher education, and possibly as a text for graduate certificates or similar in higher education, and includes a useful glossary in the back. The book provides a well-balanced survey of key theories and a solid foundation for teaching approaches for a wide range of purposes, not only for the individual teacher but internal and external stakeholders as well. Too often we encounter conflicting orientations which are not identified but can prove to be particularly confusing and frustrating most especially for academic staff within academic development programs trying to ‘figure out what it all means’. In the introduction the authors state: The educator’s role as a facilitator of student learning is dependent upon the theory of learning held. The educator’s views may form a coherent whole; alternatively they may hold scraps of incompatible theory. It is important not to have principles which clash, so bringing them to light will help in their organization so that they can be used more consciously to engage in ongoing inquiry. (p. 1)
The book brings together much of the key writing on education from various disciplinary backgrounds rather than exploring new territory. Chapter structure is well designed and set out. A major strength is the way the authors identify strengths and weaknesses of various perspectives. This is also very useful and helps to ‘provide protection from unproven and faddish ideas’ (p. 1).
The book begins with comprehensive, yet easy to understand discussions of educational philosophy, key psychological theories as well as sociological. Like many others it focuses predominantly on western culture. The chapter on social learning includes both perspectives. The approach provides very useful brief historical background, so we can appreciate the development of certain movements and thinking.
The authors point out, for example: For behaviourists, learning is conditioned individual response to stimuli; for cognitivists, it is the individual application of mental processes; for constructivists, it revolves around the construction of meaning. For social learning theorists however, learning is the product of shared experiences in a range of social settings. (p. 79)
This is very important for designing approaches, curriculum planning and assessment. There are 17 chapters in the book, which for me is too many and I would rather have seen some collapsed.
Student centred learning is referred to in various parts of the book. However, my experience is that there seems to be widespread misunderstanding of the concept among academic staff and so it might have been useful to devote a chapter to this topic, given the prominence of the approach in many universities.
The section on the origins of adult education in Chapter 9 may have been better organised around the four recurrent themes identified in the summary at the end (p. 136). This section just did not seem as smooth as some of the others. I also found the section on critical thinking too brief and there was a mismatch between that section and the summary in terms of organisation. There was room for expansion of this important chapter, especially in relation to the assumptions around student evaluations given the prominence of such evaluations in contemporary higher education and the many years that have passed since Brookfield published his work. The possibility for misuse or misunderstanding of evaluations exists in the competitive higher education environment at the individual and organizational level. As Jordan, Carlile and Stack write in relation to Brookfield’s work, ‘hegemonic assumptions are promoted by powerful interests to protect the status quo, and are internalized by teachers. They include the assumptions that:
? teaching is a vocation that often leads to teacher ‘burn-out’;
? teachers need to be rated as ‘excellent’ in student evaluations (very much a North American concern); and
? good teachers will be able to meet all of their students’ needs all of the time’ (pp. 132–133).
Readers need a better understanding of this and an expansion of the place of power structures would have been very helpful. I also found introduction of new concepts in the section titled ‘Instrumental approaches to adult learning’ (e.g. work-based learning, p. 139) that were not necessarily examined in the chapter. I would have liked to see the authors tackle in greater depth the issue of adult education in relation to the earlier chapter on stages of development and the variety of ages among students in the modern university. For example, difference (or not) between the entering 18-year-old school leavers and the various categories of ‘mature-age’ students, including those pursuing new career direction, and post-retirement students. What might this mean for curriculum in the contemporary university?
The chapter on motivation is excellent with a very useful summary towards the end of the chapter under the heading of ‘Educational implications of motivation theory’. This summary relates to many other aspects and would form a very useful framework for initial training or development for academic staff in higher education, especially tutors and sessional staff. In contrast, however, I found Chapter 12, titled ‘The learning body’, a little dull and less useful for those of us in higher education. Something more on psychological and physical health and some of the issues that teachers should be aware of might have been more useful.
After reading this book, one issue that emerged for me is what may perhaps be a gap in research related to higher education in the current context – a context that is significantly different to, say, 20 years ago. I would really like to see a revised version of this book in the future that is dedicated to higher education because I feel that there are so many sections of this book that are extremely well written, and in ways that so many others are not.
You can buy this book on amazon
The book brings together much of the key writing on education from various disciplinary backgrounds rather than exploring new territory. Chapter structure is well designed and set out. A major strength is the way the authors identify strengths and weaknesses of various perspectives. This is also very useful and helps to ‘provide protection from unproven and faddish ideas’ (p. 1).
The book begins with comprehensive, yet easy to understand discussions of educational philosophy, key psychological theories as well as sociological. Like many others it focuses predominantly on western culture. The chapter on social learning includes both perspectives. The approach provides very useful brief historical background, so we can appreciate the development of certain movements and thinking.
The authors point out, for example: For behaviourists, learning is conditioned individual response to stimuli; for cognitivists, it is the individual application of mental processes; for constructivists, it revolves around the construction of meaning. For social learning theorists however, learning is the product of shared experiences in a range of social settings. (p. 79)
This is very important for designing approaches, curriculum planning and assessment. There are 17 chapters in the book, which for me is too many and I would rather have seen some collapsed.
Student centred learning is referred to in various parts of the book. However, my experience is that there seems to be widespread misunderstanding of the concept among academic staff and so it might have been useful to devote a chapter to this topic, given the prominence of the approach in many universities.
The section on the origins of adult education in Chapter 9 may have been better organised around the four recurrent themes identified in the summary at the end (p. 136). This section just did not seem as smooth as some of the others. I also found the section on critical thinking too brief and there was a mismatch between that section and the summary in terms of organisation. There was room for expansion of this important chapter, especially in relation to the assumptions around student evaluations given the prominence of such evaluations in contemporary higher education and the many years that have passed since Brookfield published his work. The possibility for misuse or misunderstanding of evaluations exists in the competitive higher education environment at the individual and organizational level. As Jordan, Carlile and Stack write in relation to Brookfield’s work, ‘hegemonic assumptions are promoted by powerful interests to protect the status quo, and are internalized by teachers. They include the assumptions that:
? teaching is a vocation that often leads to teacher ‘burn-out’;
? teachers need to be rated as ‘excellent’ in student evaluations (very much a North American concern); and
? good teachers will be able to meet all of their students’ needs all of the time’ (pp. 132–133).
Readers need a better understanding of this and an expansion of the place of power structures would have been very helpful. I also found introduction of new concepts in the section titled ‘Instrumental approaches to adult learning’ (e.g. work-based learning, p. 139) that were not necessarily examined in the chapter. I would have liked to see the authors tackle in greater depth the issue of adult education in relation to the earlier chapter on stages of development and the variety of ages among students in the modern university. For example, difference (or not) between the entering 18-year-old school leavers and the various categories of ‘mature-age’ students, including those pursuing new career direction, and post-retirement students. What might this mean for curriculum in the contemporary university?
The chapter on motivation is excellent with a very useful summary towards the end of the chapter under the heading of ‘Educational implications of motivation theory’. This summary relates to many other aspects and would form a very useful framework for initial training or development for academic staff in higher education, especially tutors and sessional staff. In contrast, however, I found Chapter 12, titled ‘The learning body’, a little dull and less useful for those of us in higher education. Something more on psychological and physical health and some of the issues that teachers should be aware of might have been more useful.
After reading this book, one issue that emerged for me is what may perhaps be a gap in research related to higher education in the current context – a context that is significantly different to, say, 20 years ago. I would really like to see a revised version of this book in the future that is dedicated to higher education because I feel that there are so many sections of this book that are extremely well written, and in ways that so many others are not.
You can buy this book on amazon
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