"Remaking the world" neoliberalism and the transformation of education and teachers' labor

Susan L. Robertson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (Book)Researchpeer-review

60 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the introduction to his short book, a brief history of neoliberalism, David Harvey (2005, 1) observes “Future historians may well look upon the years 1978–80 as a revolutionary turning point in the world’s social and economic history.” Four significant events acted like epicenters in the unfolding of the transformation of the postwar order: in 1978, Deng Xiaoping took the first steps toward liberalizing the Chinese economy; in 1979, Paul Volcker took command of the U.S. Federal Reserve and changed monetary policy while in that same year Margaret Thatcher took on the power of the unions and pledged to end inflationary stagnation. Harvey writes, “In 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States and, armed with Volcker’s policies, set about implementing a set of reforms that were aimed at curbing union power, deregulating industry, and creating more liberal conditions for finance to operate on the national and the global stage. From these several epicenters, revolutionary impulses seemingly spread and reverberated to remake the world around us in a totally different image” (Harvey 2005, 1).
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Global Assault on Teaching, Teachers, and their Unions
Subtitle of host publicationStories for Resistance
EditorsMary Compton, Lois Weiner
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages11-27
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9780230611702
ISBN (Print)9780230606319
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes

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