Résumés
Abstract
Neo-liberal reforms in education have been sweeping the globe, undermining education as a public good, and diminishing its contributions to democratic life. Using post-structural perspectives, this article provides a critical discourse analysis of a proposed legislative bill in the province of Manitoba, Canada, as it relates to the construction of the “student.” Using Foucault’s conceptualizations of governmentality and historical ontology of the subject, we interrogate the government’s proposed Bill 64 in order to reveal how policy works to constitute particular subjects. Our analysis reveals that Bill 64 constructs the student—through its relations to knowledge, others, and the self—as objectified and homogenous, and as being valued for economic contributions, thereby marginalizing other ways of being. By revealing the oppressive effects of neo-liberal discourses on students’ subjectivities, this article aims to inform educators, education researchers, and policy makers in the pursuit of more equitable educational policies and systems.
Keywords:
- neo-liberalism,
- policy,
- construction of students,
- post-structuralism,
- public education
Résumé
Les réformes néolibérales de l’éducation ont balayé le monde, sapant l’éducation en tant que bien public et diminuant ses contributions à la vie démocratique. À l’aide de perspectives poststructurelles, cet article propose une analyse critique du discours d’un projet de loi proposé par la province du Manitoba, au Canada, en ce qui concerne la construction de l’« étudiant ». En utilisant les conceptualisations de la gouvernementalité et de l’ontologie historique du sujet de Foucault, nous interrogeons le projet de loi 64 proposé par le gouvernement afin de révéler comment la politique fonctionne pour constituer des sujets particuliers. Notre analyse révèle que le projet de loi 64 construit l’étudiant — à travers ses rapports au savoir, aux autres et à soi — comme un objet homogène, et comme valorisé pour ses apports économiques, marginalisant ainsi d’autres manières d’être. En révélant les effets oppressifs des discours néolibéraux sur la subjectivité des étudiants, cet article vise à informer les éducateurs, les chercheurs en éducation et les décideurs politiques dans la poursuite de politiques et de systèmes éducatifs plus équitables.
Mots-clés :
- néolibéralisme,
- politiques,
- construction de l’étudiant,
- poststructuralisme,
- éducation publique
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