Lifelong Learning, Subjectivity and the Totally Pedagogised Society

Bibliographic Data

ID23760922
AuthorsStephen Ball (0000-0001-7446-4201, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, corresponding author), Stephen J Ball
Year2009
Pages201-216
Publication date2009-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueGovernmentality Studies in Education (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/9789087909857_013
OpenAlexW1566534874
ISBN9789087909857
LanguageEN
Citations received14

The lifelong learner is a much over-burdened and over-determined social subject within current education policy and within some current versions of social theory. Lifelong learning indeed is subject to a constant stream of over blown policy statements and lifelong texts are saturated with policy fictions. These statements and texts sketch the outlines and some dimensions of what may be a new social totality, of which lifelong learning is a significant component. This paper explores some of the major elements of this new social totality and is organized around a trajectory of lifelong learning and focuses in particular on three “moments” or scenarios of learning and subjectivity: the pre-school learner and “total mothering”; the post-compulsory learner and workfare society; and the adult learner and “self-help”. Across these moments four inter-weaving discursive themes are identified: enterprise, responsibility, trainability and commodity.

Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Learning society · Lifelong learning · Pedagogy · Sociology · Subjectivity · Education Systems and Policy · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Philosophy · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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Open DOILibgenOpen Access