social theory

1. Postcolonialism,
Expanding Critical Social Theory and
Concluding Thoughts
Social Theory
ED LPA 9400
Brad Willis & Wenmin Zhao

2. Outline:
• Act 1: Liberalism v.s. Critical Theory and Human Capabilities
• Act 2: Pragmatism and Critical Pragmatism
• Act 3: World Systems and Dependency Theory
• Act 4: Postcolonialism
• Act 5: Spiritual, Ecological and Concluding Thoughts

3. Activity
Starting with a “blank slate” while being defined by others

4. Act 1:
Seeds of Liberalism and Critical Liberalism

5. Understanding the “blank slate” or
tablua rasa
Hugely influential to revolution and overthrow of
monarchies, with previous leaders thought to be appointed
by God.
–Glorious Revolution of 1688
–American Revolution of 1776
–French Revolution of 1789

6. Liberalism
 John Locke (1632-1704)
– English philosopher and physician
– Regarded as the most influential Enlightenment thinkers
– Commonly known as the “Father of Liberalism”
– Born of Puritan parents
– Established Social Contract Theory
 Each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property without governmental
interference.
 Famous work – An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)
 Attempts to discover how human understanding achieves knowledge through
experience with a lens of the scientific method, rather than innate knowledge
or understanding

7. Implications of classic liberal philosophy
 Greater focus on individual freedoms, including economic/free
exchange of goods.
 Stresses the importance of human rationality.
 Embraces principles of individualism through:
– Competition
– Private Property
– Rule of Law
– Economic Freedom
– Self-Interest
– Rights and Freedoms

8. Counterpoints to Classical Liberalism
from an Educational Lens?
K-12 or Higher Education

9. Critical Liberalism
Martha Nussbaum (1947 – present)
– Education: NYU (BA), Harvard (MA, PhD)
– Teaching Appointments: University of Chicago, Brown and Harvard
– Examined classical liberalism with careful attention to inequality and oppression.
Builds off of John Rawl’s (1921-2002) theory of justice
 Individuals are roughly isolated, independent and roughly equal in theory
 Reality is that due to structural influences, no one comes from “state of nature
 Original position and “veil of ignorance”
– Liberty to be maximized, consistent with equal liberty for all
– Social positions open equally for all
– Inequalities between positions can only be justified if they benefit the least
advantaged members of society.
– Highlights equality of outcomes rather than simple opportunity

10. Human Capabilities Approach
 Amartya Sen (1933- present)
 Economist and philosopher
 Meaningful understanding of reason, equality, and freedom must take into account the
actual existing capabilities that people poses and their exercise to living a fully formed
human life.
 Held from a concrete list to define those capabilities.
 Reliance on Economic Theory to enhance environmental conditions to flourish capabilities.
“Poverty is not just a lack of money; it is not having the capability to realize one’s full
potential as a human being” – A. Sen

11. Human Capabilities List – Nussbaum
What do you believe are the potential strengths
and weaknesses of Nussbaum’s list and the
human capabilities approach?

12. Linking Social Transformation
-Rooted Cosmopolitianism-
 Kwame Anthony Appiah (1954 – present )
– British born Ghanaian-American philosopher
– Education: Bryanston School, University of Cambridge
– Particular attention to understanding how the role of identity in human
life (and lives) requires attention to :
– Qualities and capabilities of an individual,
– Norms of behavior available in a social context and
– Existing conditions under which one’s awareness of these qualities and
norms originate.

13. Rooted Cosmopolitanism
 Culture Crosses Boundaries
 How have you seen resistance to these concepts
within the classroom?

14. Act 2:
Pragmatism and
Critical Pragmatism

15. Pragmatism

16. Pragmatism
 What is your definition of pragmatism?
 Would you consider yourself a pragmatist? Why or why not?

17. Intersections Between Pragmatist & Critical Theories
 Classical pragmatism: John Dewey
– Instrumentalism: Dewey viewed “knowledge and truth, along with all other
skills, ideas, or resources, as tools proven more or less valuable strictly by
their helpfulness in solving human problems” (p. 227).
– Criticism: Classical pragmatism “tend[s] to gloss over social conflict” (p. 227).
 Critical pragmatists
– Cornel West (Prophetic pragmatist)
• Integrate race, politics, and religion;
• Fight for social justice & human rights
– Nancy Fraser (Feminist pragmatist)
• (Mal)distribution: economic subordination;
• (Mal)recognition: cultural subordination
• “Bring a pragmatic sensibility to the rigorous
application of critical theory” (p. 229)

19. Act 3:
World Systems & Dependency Theory

20. Global Perspectives
 Modernization or Development Theory
 Notion of progress from feudalism →
mercantilism → industrialized capitalism
 Often applied concept to “developing” countries
 Dependency Theory
 Persistent underdevelopment is the result of
former colonies continued participation in
capitalist development of the core.
 Emphasis of trade relationships and production of
cash crops from “developing” countries

21. World-Systems Theory
 Immanuel Wallerstein (1930 – present)
 American sociologist, historical social scientist,
and world-systems analyst.
 Relies on the interdependence of social and economic systems
with focus on broader historical considerations.
 Specifically, he also examined how these interactions impact
education.

22.  Core
– Complex economic activity
– Advanced in its development
– Mass Markets
– Control over International commerce and trade
– Governments are robust, with some degree of autonomy from capitalist elites
– Give and take between state regulation and deregulation
 Peripheral
– Weak state apparatus
– Extraction of natural resources by core state
– Low to no industrialization
– Widespread poverty
 Semi-peripheral
– Act as buffers between core and peripheral (rich and poor states)
– Moderate industrialization
– Reduce potential widespread political dissent
– Workers may suffer from unequal exchange from core states
– Helpful for investments of peripheral states

24. Question Prompt
 According to Piketty’s “The Central Contradictions of Capitalism: r > g”
(p. 520, 2014), gains in private capital (r) outweigh the rate of growth
of income and output (g).
 To remediate this, he suggests a capital tax percent schedule on
varying levels of fortune across a multinational agreement.
–What do you see as the primary barrier for such a policy to be
enforced across the European Union and
–How does a perpetual r > g impact educational systems in
peripheral and semi-peripheral states?

25. Act 4:
Postcolonialism

26. Postcolonialism
Postcolonialism
–Refers to ways of criticizing the material and discursive
legacies of colonialism rather than signaling an epochal shift
from colonialism to after-colonialism (Radcliffe, 1999).
–Certain characteristic themes:
 European/Western domination of the East or the colonized world
 Modes of domination: not just economic, political, but also cultural
 European knowledge about the rest of the world as a form of power

27. Postcolonialism
Frantz Fanon (French, 1925-1961):
– Colonialism as a psychological mechanism: Black
Skin White Masks
– Decolonization not only means to get rid of
colonial rule, but to destroy the internalized version
of the self.
Edward Said (Palestinian, 1935-2003):
– Orientalism as a Western style for dominating,
restructuring, and having authority over the Orient.
Gayatri Spivak (Indian, 1942- ):
– the position of the subaltern in a system of
colonial exploitation and domination.

28. Can the Subaltern Speak?
 Subaltern: People of underclass in a society on whom the dominant
power put forth its hegemonic power and impact (Gramsci, 1971).
 Spivak: The subaltern cannot speak (1988).
 Do you think Spivak’s claim is still relevant today? Why or Why not?
Group Activity
 Who is the subaltern in education?
– PK-12
– Higher education
 What should/can we do for the subaltern group(s)?

29. Postcolonialism
 Social Movements for Global Justice
The insights of postcolonialism constitute an inseparable part of the movements
against the commodification of humans and nature that seems intrinsic to modernity.
–Anti-globalization
 Seattle/N30
–Anti-neoliberalism
 Occupy Wall Street
–Counterhegemony
 Protests against Iraq War
 Group Discussion: How is globalization affecting education? What are some
implications of globalization for education?
– Economic impacts
– Political impacts
– Cultural impacts

30. Seattle/N30
 Nov 30, 1999
 Protesters focused on issues
including workers’ rights,
sustainable economies, and
environmental and social issues.
 5,000 protesters blocked delegates’
entrance to WTO (World Trade
Organization) meetings in Seattle
 Protesters forced the cancellation
of the opening ceremony until Dec
3.

31. Protests against Iraq War
 London, Feb
 Several million demonstrators
took to the streets of Europe
and the rest of the world today
in a vast wave of protest
against the prospect of a U.S.-
led war against Iraq.
Washington Post
Sunday, February 16, 2003

32. Act 5:
Spiritual, Ecological and Concluding Thoughts

33. Spirituality
 Heavy influences of spiritual traditions within critical social theory
–Martin Luther King Jr.
–Mohandas K. Gandhi
–Gautama Buddha
–Although hegemonic influences of organized religion are numerous,
can you discuss in your group the possible positive influences of
spirituality within critical theory to influence societal change?

34. Concerns of Anthropocentrism and Ecology
Can you reflect on other ties within your community between ecology and education?

35. Personal Reflection
In your small group, take 5 mins to talk about:
Global take-away from the course-
–A-ha moments or surprises;
–Connections to personal experiences or research interests;
–How you will use exposure to these theoretical frameworks
into your ongoing efforts within and outside of the classroom

36. Thank you!