Foucauldian Thought

Foucauldian thought in curriculum studies attends to the idea that human understanding is shaped by the systems of ideas available during a particular historical period. Central to his work, Michel Foucault offers critiques of representations of the human subject as (a) possessing a consciousness that is transparent to itself, or (b) possessing the ability to observe and evaluate historical and contemporary events from outside systems of thought characteristic of a period. The phrase has taken on contemporary significance for enabling curriculum scholars to develop theories of resistance and trouble Enlightenment notions of reason and logic. More recent, Foucauldian thought has been helpful for studying issues of control and freedom as they relate to government policy on educational research and officially sanctioned perspectives on teaching and ...