Rancière, Public Education and the Taming of Democracy introduces the political and educational ideas of Jacques Rancière, a leading philosopher increasingly important in educational theory.

In light of his ideas, the volume explores the current concern for democracy and equality in relation to education.

The book introduces and discusses the works of Jacques Rancière, a leading philosopher increasingly important in the field of educational theory and philosophyThe volume will have a broad appeal to those in the field of education theory and philosophy, and those concerned with democracy, equal opportunities and pedagogyBalanced in its introduction of the political and educational ideas of this author and in its exploration in line with his work of some important issues in education and policy todayContributors from diverse countries and intellectual and cultural backgrounds, including the UK, US, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, France, Canada

Maarten Simons is Professor at the Centre for Philosophy of Education, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. His research interests include educational policy, political and social philosophy and educational theory, with a specific focus on new modes of governance, globalisation/Europeanization and the public role of (higher) education and teachers. His recent publications includeThe Learning Society from the Perspective of Governmentality (ed., Blackwell, 2007) andRe-reading Education Policies: Studying the Policy Agenda of the 21st Century (ed., 2009).

Jan Masschelein is Professor for Philosophy of Education at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. His primary areas of scholarship are educational theory, social and political philosophy, and critical theory. His research currently focuses on the 'public' role of education (both secondary and higher education) in the age of networks and on 'mapping' and 'walking' as critical research practices. His recent publications includeThe Learning Society from the Perspective of Governmentality (ed., Blackwell, 2007).

Notes on Contributors.

Foreword (Michael A. Peters).

1. Introduction: Hatred of Democracy ... and of the Public Role of Education? (Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein).

2. The Public Role of Teaching: To Keep the Door Closed (Goele Cornelissen).

3. Learner, Student, Speaker: Why It Matters How We Call Those We Teach (Gert Biesta).

4. Ignorance and Translation, Artifacts for Practices of Equality (Marc Derycke).

5. Democratic Education: An (im)possibility That Yet Remains to Come (Daniel Friedrich, Bryn Jaastad and Thomas S. Popkewitz)

6. Governmental, Political and Pedagogic Subjectivation: Foucault with Rancière (Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein).

7. The Immigrant Has No Proper Name: The Disease of Consensual Democracy Within the Myth of Schooling (Carl Anders Säfström).

8. Queer Politics in Schools: A Rancièrean Reading (Claudia W. Ruitenberg).

9. Paulo Freires Last Laugh: Rethinking Critical Pedagogys Funny Bone Through Jacques Rancière (Tyson Edward Lewis).

10. Settling no Conflict in the Public Place: Truth in Education, and in Rancièrean Scholarship (Charles Bingham).

11. The Hatred of Public Schooling: The School as the Mark of Democracy (Jan Masschelein and Maarten Simons).

12. Endgame: Reading, Writing, Talking (and Perhaps Thinking) in a Faculty of Education (Jorge Larrosa).

Index.