[OPE] Critical Realism conference (18-20 July) - Marxism and education stream

gerald_a_levy@msn.com

> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Anthony Green" <Anthony.Green@ioe.ac.uk>> To: "Martin McIvor" <martin.mcivor@alumni.lse.ac.uk>> Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 8:45 AM> > > > People concerned with the open reconsideration and discussion of Marx and > Marxism in the field of education may be interested to know that there will > be an international Conference on Critical Realism and Education at the > University of London, Institute of Education on July 18 - 20, 2008. Among > the features of this conference will be an introductory course on critical > realism by Roy Bhaskar and a stream on Marxism and education.> > Explication of the nature of Marx's method played a crucial role in the > development of critical realism as a philosophy of and for science, social > science and human emancipation. Marxists concerned with education have much > to gain from an encounter and dialogue with critical realism. For their > part, critical realists have much to gain from explicitly thematizing the > educational dimensions of Marx's writings and the Marxist tradition. We hope > that this conference will be the site and see the start of such a mutually > beneficial development.> > International Conference on Critical Realism and Education> University of London Institute of Education> July 18, 19 and 20, 2008> > The organizer of this conference is Professor Roy Bhaskar, currently World > Scholar at the University of London Institute of Education, and founder of > the philosophy of critical realism.> > This conference is designed to lay the basis for the development of an > International Centre for Advanced Studies in Critical Realism and Education.> In recent years there has been growing interest in the interface between > critical realism and education, which makes this conference especially > timely. Education is central to the critical realist project. On the other > hand, critical realism is still, relatively speaking, a newcomer in the > field of education and education studies, and only too rarely explicitly > utilized in research or thematized in teaching.> > The conference aims to begin to repair this situation with a large part of > the first day being given over to a short course, led by Roy Bhaskar, > developing the basic principles of critical realism, with education > especially in mind.> > Among the topics discussed in this short course will be basic critical > realism in the philosophy of science and social science; the development of > critical realism, including dialectical critical realism and the philosophy > of meta-Reality; applied critical realism and interdisciplinarity; critical > realism in and for education; and the ends of education. This part of the > conference programme will include working parallel sessions in which > conference participants can learn about or refresh their understanding of > critical realist ideas and concepts.> > The bulk of the conference will address the development of a mediating level > of theory and description between philosophy and the day-to-day concerns of > educational practice. Throughout, the conference will attempt to initiate, > develop and enrich a two-way interaction between critical realist philosophy > and educational research and practice. Parallel workshop sessions, in which > individual participants present and discuss their papers, will be interwoven > with plenary sessions, in which distinguished speakers from the fields of > critical realism and education studies will address topics of interest to > all.> > Plenary speakers will include Michael Apple, Margaret Archer, Rom Harré, > Karl Maton, Richard Pring, Chris Sarra and Brad Shipway.> > Among the topics highlighted in the plenaries will be comparison of critical > realism and social realism; consideration of explicit ex ante versus > implicit critical realism; the topology of educational studies; the > relationship between quantitative and qualitative methods; the nature of > educational practices and the tension between the emancipatory orientation > and the contemporary marketization of education.> > The strands in the parallel sessions will embrace: philosophy and the ends > of education; research methods; interdisciplinarity; sociology of knowledge > and education; Bernstein, Bourdieu and implicit critical realism; historical > explanation and historical sociology; geography and education; education for > sustainability; business and economics education; special and inclusive > education; education and emancipation; the development of critical realism, > including dialectical critical realism; meta-Reality; science education; > religion and education; peace education; Marxism; Piaget and Vygotsky.> > Call for Papers> The Critical Realism and Education Conference 2008 calls for papers in any > subject area which bears on critical realism, on the one hand, and > education, on the other. Please send abstracts by June 1 and any queries > concerning the call for papers to Roy Bhaskar at: r.bhaskar@ioe.ac.uk> > At the end of the first day, there will be a conference reception and at the > end of the second day, a conference dinner. Accommodation is available by > advance booking in student halls of residence and a number of reasonably > priced hotels nearby.> > To register and for further information and details of accommodation, please > go to the conference website:> > www.ioe.ac.uk/conferences/criticalrealism> > or contact James McSean at:> fpsadmin3@ioe.ac.uk> > Marxism and education stream> A strong and distinctive tradition of analysis of educational policies and > practices stems directly from i) the originating work of Marx and Engels > and the 19th and 20th century labour movements; ii) the 20th century > developments in Marxian inspired radical educational thought and practices > associated with, among others, Gramsci and Freire; iii) Marxist research > projects and programmes associated with academic inquiry into social and > cultural inequalities, schooling, curriculum and pedagogy; and iv) struggles > involving political parties, movements and initiatives for radical > political economy, raising class consciousness and supporting forms of > radical left activism in countless contexts of potential emancipation. > Pedagogy has been continuously both a topic and a resource in and for such > emancipation in relation to Marx's famous dictum about educating the > educators, namely ourselves in struggle.> > As already mentioned, engagement with and explication of the nature of Marx's > method played a crucial role in the development of critical realism. Marxism > shares with critical realism a commitment to realism and depth ontology, an > orientation to concrete analysis and a conception of its practices as > counter-hegemonic and designed to make a difference. Furthermore, both > critical realism and Marxism reject idealism and empiricism, in perspectives > which recognize human beings as existing relationally, in open and complex > systems, in a world which must be changed for the benefit of all.> > However, rarely have the educational dimensions of the Marxist tradition > been thematized in relation to critical realism as such, despite the > widespread recognition that critical realism seeks to underlabour for the > sciences and practices of human emancipation, including specifically, > Marxism. Marxists and critical realists concerned with education and > struggles for such emancipation have much to gain from dialogue with one > another, not least in exploring the implications of Marx's 11th Thesis on > Feuerbach: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various > ways; the point is to change it."> > While any paper which bears on critical realism and Marxism in and for > education is welcome, we especially invite contributions which address > substantive themes, contemporary issues, policies and practices in relation > to:> · Education and production> · Labour processes in education> · Education and class formation> · Education and 'race'> · Gender and education> · Articulating social and cultural inequalities> · Educational cultures of capitalism> · Culture, curriculum and pedagogy> · School and urban 'communities'> · Social democratic educational politics and policies> · Neoliberal globalization and counter hegemonic possibilities and > practices> · Key theorists and bodies of work.> > Roy Bhaskar Conference Organizer and Anthony Green, Marxism Stream > Organizer: anthony.green@ioe.ac.uk> > > Anthony Green> Educational Foundations & Policy Studies> Institute of Education, University of London> 20 Bedford Way> London WC1H 0AL> T: 020 7612 6810> E: anthony.green@ioe.ac.uk 


_______________________________________________
ope mailing list
ope@lists.csuchico.edu
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope