Lee Anne Lavender
Cat Ho
Kara Francis
Rodrigo Abrantes da Silva.png "Wendy Mockler")
Wendy MocklerCEL for Teachers’s Updates
Week 7 - The Iron Cage of Neoliberalism and the Need for an Alternate Criticality
Week 7 The Iron Cage of Neoliberalism and the Need for an Alternate Criticality
Neoliberalism can be understood as a modern form of the “iron cage". The attendant rise of global crises and inequality render many teachers at a loss as to ways to question the Economics that has built and maintained this “iron cage”. This is why there is a need for an “alternate criticality” since both Critical Pedagogy and Critical Thinking, while valuable, have not effectively countered the rise of neoliberalism over the past four decades, nor have them promoted Critical Global Citizenship Education.
In time to come, what will we look back and see as educators - have we taught in ways that helped free people from the iron cage? (10634669, n,d,)
Lesson Objective -
1. Explain Weber's iron cage and how Critical Economic Literacy can help dismantle it.
2. Define key terms: CT, CP, Iron Cage, Alternate Criticality
3. Reflect: Share your insights on the ways you experience being in the iron cage and how CEL is helping you identify (and possibly dismantling) this iron cage? (Personal Update 7- 500 words)
4. Comment on 2 Peers' Updates (75 words using terms and ideas learned)
Pre-Session Material (please complete before synchronous sessions)
Take notes and type your wonderings at the end of this pre-session below.
Read Bubules and Berk (1999) and either Rizvi or Siegel.
Watch This Video to Understand Weber's Theory of the Iron Cage
Please note that unlike what the video recounts, Weber was not optimistic that the iron cage can be dismantled. In fact, he is of the opinion that the iron cage will keep humankind in bondage till “the last ton of fossilized coal is burnt” (p.123).
References
10634669, G. (n.d.). Man, Old, Elderly image. [Photo]. Pixaby. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://pixabay.com/photos/man-old-elderly-portrait-male-4191143/
Burbules, N.C. and Berk, R. (1999). Critical thinking and critical pedagogy: relations, differences, and limits. In Popkewitz , T.S and Fendler, L.F (Eds). Critical theories in education. Routledge.
Rizvi, F. (2009). Towards cosmopolitan learning. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 30 (3).
Siegel, H. (2005). What good are thinking dispositions. Educational Theory 49(2), 207-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.1999.00207.
Sociologylearners. (2024b). Iron cage theory by Max Weber [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMdrioFGvQI
Weber, M. (2013). The Protestant work ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Simon and Schuster.
Comment: What do you understand by "alternate criticality"? How is this linked with Critical Economic literacy?
The iron cage is one that will always be there. It may be that no matter how hard we try there will always be one as long as there are people who wish to gain the sole benefit. We, as a global society, will just create a new one though I have hope that people will change with more awareness and time into a society where all benefit. Once we can overcome the fear mongering of lack that is. While CEL may or may not dismantle the iron cage, it can certainly start breaking through the bars that keep us locked in this cage of our own making. Perhaps going back to a “simpler way of life “ is the key. A life where we all matter and can exchange goods and services based on what we need not what we think we need. Awareness and mindfulness are key factors here and it is starting to be adopted by some in various ways however, these are broad concepts that need to be unpacked. Hopefully we will realise more and more with time and sharing of experiences as our world becomes smaller, how we impact each other globally even though we live in our bubbles. Maybe we should question the status quo of what true power (acting within our abilities) actually means so that we can work towards a global society where we each feel that we can make a difference. It may start with thinking critically about ourselves and how we are being manipulated or shall we say how we are allowing ourselves to be manipulated.
Interestingly, I can't help but notice spiritual paralells in these last few vidoes and readings. The spirit of communism Weber was not optimistic that the iron cage can be dismantled. In fact, he is of the opinion that the iron cage will keep humankind in bondage till “the last ton of fossilized coal is burnt” (p.123). In videos in week 6, I picked up on this up as well and I didn't make a direct reference to Christianity but thought it. The iron cage is the work of the enemy, systemising evil to limit human agency and it couldn't be clearer than how it's explained in the video. Alternate criticality must refer to questioning systems their purpose and their impact. I am not sure.
I appreciate the comments mentioned. I find this an interesting theme to unpack. The enemy being a religious cage compared to a philosophical one. Either way created by man? Both being systems of a kind?
I wonder what kind of society would we have if we stop the protestant work ethic, save nothing, leave nothing for investing, east just enough for living?
Perhaps the new generation of lying flat is trying this out?
I appreciate this comment. I find it so interesting, this concept of lying flat... my perception of China is that the country is so strict and therefore this is such an extreme way of reacting. Maybe we need extremes as we have become desensitized to the plight of everyday people. We sometimes do not even see that we fall in that same category but we do not have the knowledge and courage to do anything about it due to indoctrination of ourselves through society that is manipulated by a narrative that we cannot even trace. It permeates/pervades us through visuals everyday and every time we look at social media. Count the times you pick up your phone or laptop and find yourself scrolling through rather than spending time in contemplative thought. There is control in what we are sharing and I agree that the stories are not well known as they may possibly be filtered out, never reaching their liberation.
Yes, i think Tammy also brought this up but how we now have to accumulate for retirement, and the goal post keeps getting moved further and further.
The pervasive fear and anxiety is driving a lot of our decisions even as people of privilege and power. I think this is why even critical thinking, it is not enough to stop this flood; but how do we live with empowered imagination to create a different pathway - i do think it is possible and some have done it, but their stories are not widely known.
What if we didn't accumulate wealth but instead lived reasonably enjoyable lives and used the rest to uplift others. What if we followed Biblical principals. What if we weren't all corrupted by these systems.