Educational Realities and The Tasks of the Critical Scholar/Activist in Education

Professor Michael W. Apple, IAS Distinguished Visiting Fellow, delivered the 2015 Centre for Research in Race and Education’s annual lecture.

Neoliberal, neoconservative, and managerial reforms now dominate the educational landscape internationally. They have taken on an almost religious power in that they seem to be nearly immune to counter evidence. Yet, there are alternatives to them that have made a significant difference, if we reject the simplistic idea that education can only reproduce dominance.;

Starting by critically examining dominant tendencies and then drawing from his recent book ‘Can Education Change Society?’, Professor Apple turned to the responsibilities of those who wish to interrupt dominant tendencies and then discussed the tasks of the "public intellectual,", the critical scholar activist, in building and defending more critically democratic and anti-racist educational theories, policies, and practices.

Michael W. Apple is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading critical educators. His reputation is built on an exceptional body of scholarship that extends from the 1970s to the present day. Professor Apple’s standing is equally strong in numerous parts of the world, including North America, Europe, South America (especially Brazil and Argentina), South Africa and Asia (particularly China). His truly global impact can be gauged by the many translations of his books and by the constant international demand for his services as a speaker and collaborative progressive educator.