The morality and political antagonisms of neoliberal discourse: Campbell Brown and the dorporatization of educational justice
Loading...
Date
2017
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Phelan SP
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Southern California
Rights
© 2017 (Leon A. Salter and Sean Phelan). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution
Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd).
Abstract
Neoliberalism is routinely criticized for its moral indifference, especially concerning the
social application of moral objectives. Yet it also presupposes a particular moral code,
where acting on the assumption of individual autonomy becomes the basis of a shared
moral-political praxis. Using a discourse theoretical approach, this article explores
different articulations of morality in neoliberal discourse. We focus on the case of
Campbell Brown, the former CNN anchor who reinvented herself from 2012 to 2016 as a
prominent charter school advocate and antagonist of teachers unions. We examine the
ideological significance of a campaigning strategy that coheres around an image of the
moral superiority of corporatized schooling against an antithetical representation of the
moral degeneracy of America’s public schools system. In particular, we highlight how
Brown attempts to incorporate the fragments of different progressive discourses into a
neoliberalized vision of educational justice.
Description
Keywords
neoliberalism, discourse, media, public education, charter schools, unions
Citation
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, 2017, 11 pp. 3030 - 3050