Governmentality and Education: How is knowledge production in Irish secondary education complicit in fostering neo-liberal subjectivities

Education maintains a unique position in contemporary societies due to an often unquestioned assumption regarding its inherent worth and value. Education is often perceived as a vehicle for social mobility and valued for its fostering of human well-being. This thesis problematises the taken for granted valorisation of education through an examination of secondary education in Ireland. The work takes as its central question how is knowledge production in Irish secondary education complicit in shaping neo-liberal subjectivities? In doing so it draws on the work of Michel Foucault in understanding how power relations shape subjectivities through acceptance of cultural norms and values. It argues that Irish secondary education is guided by human capital theory which engenders an instrumental understanding of education. Such an understanding elicits an 'entrepreneurial self' as individuals view education and knowledge as an external acquisition for selfinvestment in pursuit of obtaining desirable job. Resistance does exist through criticisms of the dominance of rote learning, and through engaging in some interactive and participartory learning. However, this is ultimately undermined by the centrality of the Leaving Certificate examinations which acts as a mediator of educational success in Ireland