Governing the Self

This work conducts a Foucauldian analysis of managerialism in education. Managerialism, it is argued, is a mode of discipline that arises from neoliberalism's demand for continuous production and, within the context of education, demands self-constitution and self-management of the subject that implicates the subject in its own governance. The critique of the discourse of managerialism leads the author to call for weakening its disciplinary force in order to allow for "infinite attention to the other" in the pedagogic relation, because without attention to the other, education becomes a commodity with no inherent ethical foundation. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Patrick Fitzsimons has been engaged in education since his days as a young teacher in New Zealand. A pioneer at his craft, he explores the new, queries convention, and challenges authority. His doctoral research focused on the work of Michel Foucault in relation to education, an interest that he developed through his short but intense academic career. With a long list of publications and professional affiliations, his last appointment was at James Cook University.