Oslobađanje od tržišne slobode: promišljanje emancipatornog potencijala obrazovanja u eri neoliberalizma

Abstract

Biti samostalan i kompetentan pojedinac jedna je od glavnih premisa globalnog trenda u obrazovanju koji se temelji na neoliberalnom narativu. Međutim, ideje samostalnosti i kompetentnosti, zaražene neoliberalnim genom, otvaraju Pandorinu kutiju čiji sadržaji tvore fabričke trake obrazovnih institucija u službi reprodukovanja i održavanja neoliberalnih vrednosti. Složićemo se da je opasno kada se obrazovanje instrumentalizuje i svede na oblikovanje konkurentnog pojedinca za tržište rada. Međutim, koliko god nam golicalo prste da zalepimo još jednu etiketu neoliberalizmu (bez obzira da li ga posmatramo kao ideologiju, političku praksu ili kako Dejvid Harvi kaže – politički projekat) i optužimo ga za sunovrat obrazovanja, moramo sebe zaustaviti. Ovim radom nastojimo da ostanemo odgovorni prema napisanom i ne skliznemo u naivno, nekonstruktivno i nekritičko odnošenje prema neoliberalnoj stvarnosti koja nikada nije (kao što ništa i nije) crno-bela. Neoliberalizam ima različita obličja, uslovljena mnogim društvenim, ekonomskim, kulturnim i istorijskim faktorima. Vreme ga je oblikovalo i napravilo fleksibilnijim, inovativnijim i prilagodljivim u različitim kontekstima, sposobnim da kritike na sopstveni račun integriše u svoj način funkcionisanja. Upravo zbog promenljivosti neoliberalizma, više nego ikada neophodno je preispitati šta znači emancipatorski potencijal obrazovanja u ovakvom kontekstu. Svesni smo da je emancipacija kao pojam prilično ,,potrošena“ i učestalo svedena na jednostrani prosvetiteljski narativ, ali u kontekstu koji smo nagovestili, emancipacija mora biti više od toga. Time ukazujemo na još jedno žarište ovog rada – šta je to ,,više“, i možemo li jednom za svagda reći u čemu leži emancipatorski potencijal obrazovanja, ili nam predstoji da iznova i iznova tragamo za odgovorom na ovo pitanje, gradimo ga i oslobađamo u živim odnosima sa drugima? Jedino izvesno je da se ne smemo povući i čekati ,,neka bolja vremena” – jer ona neće čekati nas. U vremenu koje imamo – u eri neoliberalizma – moramo otvarati nove perspektive i tragati za načinima da mehanizme koji su nam na raspolaganju angažujemo u stvaranju novih mogućnosti zajedničkog življenja.

Being independent and competent individual is one of the main premises of the global trend in education based on the neoliberal narrative. However, the ideas of independence and competence, infected with the neoliberal gene, opens the Pandora’s Box, whose contents shape assembly lines of educational institutions in favor of reproducing and maintaining neoliberal values. We will all agree that is dangerous when education is instrumentalized and reduced to shaping competitive individuals for the labor market. However, as much as we find it appealing to stick another label to neoliberalism (whether we regard it as an ideology, a political practice, or as David Harvey says – a political project) and accuse it for failure of education, we must stop ourselves. Through this work, we strive to remain responsible to the written word, and not to slip into a naive, unconstructive and uncritical attitude towards neoliberal reality that is never (as nothing is) black or white. Neoliberalism takes many forms, conditioned by many social, economic, cultural and historical factors. The time passed has shaped it and made it more flexible, innovative and adaptable in different contexts, able to integrate criticism into its way of functioning. Because of this variability of neoliberalism, it is necessary, more than ever, to reconsider what is the emancipatory potential of education in such context. We are aware that emancipation as a term is rather “worn out” and is often reduced to a one-sided enlightenment narrative, but in the context that we have indicated, emancipation must be more than that. With this we point out to another focus of this work – what is “more”, and can we once and for all say what is the emancipatory potential of education, or do we have to search again and again to find the answer to this question, to build it and liberate it in relationships with others? The only certain thing is that we should not go back and wait for “some better days to come” – because it will not wait for us. In the present time – the era of neoliberalism – we must open up new perspectives and look for ways to engage mechanisms that