ERIC Number: EJ1107763
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-5692
EISSN: N/A
If the Past Devours the Future, Why Study? Piketty, Social Movements, and Future Directions for Education
Tarlau, Rebecca
British Journal of Sociology of Education, v37 n6 p861-872 2016
In 2014, Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-first Century" rocked the economic and political world, with its argument that inequality is destined to increase; in the field of education, however, this book has been almost entirely ignored. I argue that Piketty's treatise is relevant to educational theories for three reasons: his rejection of meritocracy contributes to theories of social mobility; his critique of human capital theory provides fodder for debates about educational purpose; and his interdisciplinary analysis supports the political economy tradition in education. However, I also argue that it is necessary to move beyond the economic determinism in Piketty's arguments, to explore the transformative potential of education as a consciousness-raising process, the agency of communities, the production process, and alternative solutions to inequality. I argue that education scholars should use the renewed interest in inequality generated by Piketty's book to shift the dominant discourses about education, schools, and social justice.
Descriptors: Educational Theories, Human Capital, Social Theories, Social Mobility, Economics, Educational Sociology, Social Change, Labor Education, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A