TY - JOUR
T1 - 'Cruel optimism' and contemporary Australian critical theory in educational research
AU - Rasmussen, Mary Louise
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - ?Cruel optimism? is a term coined by Lauren Berlant. In conceptualizing this term, Berlant
draws on the resources of critical theory to interrogate people?s desires for things they think
may improve their lot, but actually act as obstacles to flourishing. This notion may be useful
for analysing the current state of education in Australia, and the desire to believe that My
School, and the associated data it provides, will enable schools to address social inequalities.
For Berlant, the promise of such technologies is problematic because it diverts our attention
from important ethical, social and political questions, some of which are highlighted in the
contributions to this special issue. Using ?cruel optimism? as a point of departure, I interrogate
how the notion of critical theory has been conceptualized in educational research by briefly
looking at scholarship within and outside education relating to critical theory. Following on
from this, I consider how what I am terming critical theory is put to work in each of the
articles that make up this special issue on My School.
AB - ?Cruel optimism? is a term coined by Lauren Berlant. In conceptualizing this term, Berlant
draws on the resources of critical theory to interrogate people?s desires for things they think
may improve their lot, but actually act as obstacles to flourishing. This notion may be useful
for analysing the current state of education in Australia, and the desire to believe that My
School, and the associated data it provides, will enable schools to address social inequalities.
For Berlant, the promise of such technologies is problematic because it diverts our attention
from important ethical, social and political questions, some of which are highlighted in the
contributions to this special issue. Using ?cruel optimism? as a point of departure, I interrogate
how the notion of critical theory has been conceptualized in educational research by briefly
looking at scholarship within and outside education relating to critical theory. Following on
from this, I consider how what I am terming critical theory is put to work in each of the
articles that make up this special issue on My School.
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00131857.2013.793929
U2 - 10.1080/00131857.2013.793929
DO - 10.1080/00131857.2013.793929
M3 - Article
SN - 0013-1857
VL - 47
SP - 192
EP - 206
JO - Educational Philosophy and Theory
JF - Educational Philosophy and Theory
IS - 2
ER -