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ERIC Number: EJ1119632
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-May
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1477-9714
EISSN: N/A
Capillary Discourses, Fissure Points, and Tacitly Confessing the Self: Foucault's Later Work and Educational Research
Worthman, Christopher; Troiano, Beverly
Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, v22 n1 p46-67 May 2016
This article draws on Foucault's later work to consider in an exploratory but specific way how that work can inform educational research. It introduces the concepts of "capillary discourses" and "fissure points" to show, by way of example, how a regime of truth such as neoliberalism shapes lifelong learning theory, the pedagogy of individualized, self-directed learning in a lifelong learning program, and ultimately a participant's identity. Capillary discourses facilitate the flow of beliefs and procedures associated with specific regimes of truth. However, because of these discourses' permeability, discursive flow can break down to reveal "fissure points" or opportunities for resistance, which can lead to what Foucault called "eventalization". Through an analysis of participant interviews and program materials, we identified how fissure points created opportunities for resistance that could offer ways to begin to account for power relation dynamics, including symmetries and contradictions of practice, and to begin to think about the nature of interaction and what it means for participants.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education; High School Equivalency Programs; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A