School-to-work transitions support: ‘cruel optimism’ for young people in ‘the state of insecurity'

In this paper, I argue that current arrangements for school-to-work transitions support in England, now school-based, are designed to contribute towards ensuring the consent of the population for what I refer to as the ‘state of insecurity’ (Lorey, 2015): the neoliberal relationship between the individual and the state in which insecurity is promoted as freedom. Based on an analysis of policy, the paper argues that the government careers strategy for young people aims to contribute to shaping the precarious subjects which inhabit the state of insecurity, by encouraging them to internalise neoliberal values around freedom and individualism which accompany governmental precarisation. Drawing also on the work of Judith Butler (2011), I suggest that throughout the careers strategy, neoliberalism functions as performative or hegemonic norm which is cited to constitute notions of ‘good’ or ‘normal’ labour market arrangements, aspirations and selves. I suggest that this strategy is an example of Berlant's (2011) ‘cruel optimism’, which constitutes a fantasy of a ‘good life’ which is in fact likely to be unattainable to many young people, especially the more disadvantaged

The new statutory requirements in careers guidance in England and the implications for careers provision under the Coalition Government

The Education Act 2011 passed responsibility for careers guidance in England from local authorities to schools, providing no extra funding or staff training. This paper reports on a project conducted in schools in East London, which aimed to enhance careers work in response to the new requirements. It argues that whilst schools can enhance their careers programme, the new arrangements have left them with requirements they have neither the funding, expertise nor networks to fulfil. This move by the Coalition government is contributing to a process of deterioration of careers provision in England, involving the undermining of the careers profession and the diminishing of professionalism in careers provision

School surveillance: primary and secondary schools

© 2018 SAGE. This is the author's pre-copyedited version of the chapter. Distributing, reselling, or any repurposing of the content is not allowed. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-surveillance-security-and-privacy/book24406

Problematising the role of the white researcher in social justice research

This paper contributes to the debate on decolonizing methodologies in qualitative research by considering how a white researcher can try and destabilise white supremacy when explicitly conducting research with social justice aims. It draws on data from a recent ethnographic study of minority ethnic pupils’ experiences in secondary schools in England, and interrogates the tensions between the research aim to challenge racial stereotyping in education, and issues of race and power emerging from the research process. The paper investigates specifically the ways in which interaction is shaped by – frequently hidden, particularly to those privileged by them - structures of white supremacy. Developing an innovative analytical framework which draws on insights from both Critical Race Theory and the work of Judith Butler, the researcher problematises issues of voice and representation in conducting social justice research. It is argued that an approach which engages with elements of both structural and poststructural theory allows a more critical exploration of white supremacy through an understanding of the performativity of race. The author works towards a possible research methodology which not only takes into account, but also tries to destabilise processes of white supremacy in research by both recognising participants’ efforts to do this, and trying to make researchers better able to take responsibility for their own complicity in perpetuating unequal racial structures. It is argued that such a recognition by white researchers will necessarily be an uncomfortable process

Volunteering, social cohesion and race: the German Technical Relief Service

This paper contributes to the debate on whether volunteering influences social cohesion, and argues that issues of race equality should be considered in this discussion. Whilst the German government, like other European states, promotes volunteering as a way of improving social cohesion, discussions on social cohesion in Germany tend not to mention race explicitly, whilst studies on volunteering tend to neglect to explore race at all. When they do, race is simply considered a factor influencing engagement, rather than a structural issue. Employing the example of the German Technical Relief Service for civil defence, the paper explores race relations and representation in Germany, where discussions on race generally remain taboo, drawing on theories of structural racism and whiteness. The paper concludes that it cannot be unproblematically assumed that volunteering leads to social cohesion in an ethnically diverse society if racial inequalities are not addressed

UK Secondary Schools Under Surveillance: What are the Implications for Race? A Critical Race and Butlerian Analysis.

This chapter is an updated version of the article published as: Chadderton, C. (2012) UK secondary schools under surveillance: the implications for race. A Critical Race and Butlerian analysis. Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies 10:1(http://hdl.handle.net/10552/1845) This chapter addresses new technologies of surveillance in secondary schools, and the implications of such surveillance for race equality, providing new insights into seldom discussed relations of power and education. The ‘war on terror’ has led to new regimes of control involving the limiting of personal freedoms and constant surveillance, in response to the perceived risk of terrorist attacks. In this paper I argue the counter-terrorism agenda is one reason schools have invested in new technologies of surveillance and explore the implications of such surveillance for the way in which students are raced. I apply a framework combining Critical Race Theory with Judith Butler’s thinking on recognisable lives and Agamben’s (2005) state of exception, to analyse how minority ethnic young people are constructed as ‘threatening’

The new statutory requirements in careers guidance in England and the implications for careers provision under the Coalition government

The Education Act 2011 passed responsibility for careers guidance in England from local authorities to schools, providing no extra funding or staff training. This paper reports on a project conducted in schools in East London, which aimed to enhance careers work in response to the new requirements. It argues that whilst schools can enhance their careers programme, the new arrangements have left them with requirements they have neither the funding, expertise nor networks to fulfil. This move by the Coalition government is contributing to a process of deterioration of careers provision in England, involving the undermining of the careers profession and the diminishing of professionalism in careers provision

UK secondary schools under surveillance: the implications for race. A Critical Race and Butlerian analysis

Since September 11th 2001, and the London bombings of July 2005, the ‘war on terror’ has led to the subjection of populations to new regimes of control and reinforced state sovereignty. This involves, in countries such as the UK and the US, the limiting of personal freedoms, increased regulation of immigration and constant surveillance, as a response to the perceived increased risk of terrorist attacks. In this paper I consider new surveillance technologies in secondary schools as a moment in the “war on terror” where recognisability is key to understanding the ways in which populations are racialised. I argue that the counter-terrorism agenda is one of the reasons why schools have invested to such an extent in new technologies of surveillance and explore the implications such surveillance has for the way in which students are raced. The paper applies a framework which combines a Critical Race Theory (CRT) analysis of white supremacy with Judith Butler’s (2004a, 2010) thinking on recognisable lives and Agamben’s (2005) state of exception in order to analyse how minority ethnic young people are constructed as ‘threatening’. Keywords: Secondary schools, surveillance, counter-terrorism, Critical Race Theory, Judith Butler, state of exception

Towards a research framework for race in education: critical race theory and Judith Butler

There has been much debate around the extent to which poststructuralist theory can be applied to critical research. In this article, it is argued that aspects of the two approaches can be combined, resulting in productive tensions that point towards a possible new framework for researching race and racism in education in the UK. The article specifically considers combining Critical Race Theory (CRT), with a poststructural approach to understanding identity based on the work of Judith Butler, and explores the usefulness of such a theoretical approach to investigate minority ethnic young people’s experiences of education and the way in which these experiences shape their sense of self, leading to the perpetuation of racial inequalities. It is argued that working at the boundary of these two theoretical traditions provides a deeper understanding of the way in which racism operates, the way it shapes experience, and the possibilities for political and social change

Education policy and refugees in England and Germany: racist nativism and the reproduction of white supremacy

This paper argues that education policy in England and Germany racialises young refugees and asylum seekers and contributes to upholding white supremacy in the education system. Previous research in both countries has shown that education policy reproduces race inequality, and in England, it has been argued that education policy itself is an act of white supremacy (Gillborn 2005). However, to date there has been little consideration of the specific role of refugee policies in maintaining race inequality in education. In this study we connect research on refugee education, the raced nature of the education systems in both countries and the racialised context and position of refugees in society. We draw on insights from Critical Race Theory and on the concept of racist nativism, ‘the link between race and immigration status’ (Pérez Huber 2011) to argue that refugees, already racialised in society, are also racialised by education policies and systems via the privileging of both nativist and white norms