ERIC Number: EJ928856
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0954-0253
EISSN: N/A
Dark Matter: The "Gravitational Pull" of Maternalist Discourses on Politicians' Decision Making for Early Childhood Policy in Australia
Bown, Kathryn; Sumsion, Jennifer; Press, Frances
Gender and Education, v23 n3 p263-280 2011
The article reports on a study investigating influences on Australian politicians' decision making for early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy. The astronomical concept of dark matter is utilised as a metaphor for considering normalising, and therefore frequently difficult to detect and disrupt, influences implicated in politicians' decision making for ECEC policy. The concept of dark matter connects with and extends Foucauldian conceptualisations of knowledge, power and discourse. The paper argues that maternalist discourses continue to shape the policy landscape for ECEC, though these are largely unacknowledged. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables and 2 notes.)
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Figurative Language, Children, Foreign Countries, Decision Making, Mothers, Feminism, Sexual Identity, Interviews, Parent Child Relationship, Political Influences, Politics, Gender Issues, Females
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A