Navigating shallow waters
Symbolic violence and its implications for education for sustainable development in neoliberal Japan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7360918 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M D Smith (0000-0003-4492-1648, Kobe University, corresponding author), Travis Hunter Past (0000-0001-9700-5454, Kyoto Sangyo University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 380-388 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Power and Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1757-7438 • E-ISSN: 1757-7438 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/17577438241239828 |
| OpenAlex | W4394614965 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 25 |
In the face of ongoing ecological, economic, and social concerns, the UN’s sustainable development framework emerges as a map for securing a brighter tomorrow. Yet, against this backdrop, the neoliberal values of deregulation, open marketisation, and individualisation constrain sustainable development outcomes. Building on previous research conducted in Japan, a nation positioned at the forefront of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), this ‘think piece’ seeks to offer a critical examination of its implementation and positionality within Japan’s education system, specifically the imbalance between public and private educational providers. Drawing on Bourdieu’s symbolic violence, we seek to shed light on the social norms (in this case, skill-based human capital development) replicated through education, the long-standing power structures reinforcing them, and finally, the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ in terms of access to attaining covetable neoliberal skills. The goal of this piece is not to reject the altruistic good of ESD. On the contrary, through this analysis, we hope to generate greater awareness by engendering a more meaningful and transformative ESD aligning with sustainability as a shared public good. Consequently, we call for more equitable ESD available to all students, regardless of educational setting
Economic growth · Economics · Education for sustainable development · Neoliberalism (international relations · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Sustainable development · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice and the OECD Pisa Global Competence Framework
Promoting language education for sustainable development
Social Reproduction as Language Policy
Ideology, Neoliberalism and Sustainable Development
Entrepreneurs of the self
Shadow education, Bourdieu, & meritocracy
Neoliberalism, new public management and the sustainable development agenda of higher education
Promoting global citizenship and multiculturalism in higher education
Little room for capacitation
Sustainability as Empty Signifier
Teeth of the hydra
Reproduction in education, society, and culture
Neoliberalism and justice in education for sustainable development
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |