This article extends the discussion of critical methodologies in education, arguing that critical work must exhibit both an explicit orientation toward truth and social justice and an engagement with how theoretical considerations of the good connect to material practices. More specifically, we center Colin Koopman's notion of genealogical pragmatism to suggest that critical work must focus on both problematization and reconstruction of the often dire circumstances that characterize our contemporary moment in education. We use this philosophical discussion as an introduction to the articles comprising this special issue on critical inquiry.