ABSTRACT
The micropolitics of schools is an evolving but arguably underdeveloped fi eld of study (Blase & Anderson, 1995; Scribner et al., 2003). Its conceptual boundaries and distinctive features remain elusive and contested. Its empirical foundation is broad in scope but uneven in quality. For example, studies span the space from community politics to classroom and corridor dynamics, employ various theoretical orientations, focus on different units of analysis, encompass a maze of loosely defi ned formal and informal arenas, and address an array of salient topics and prevalent policy issues. Some studies unpack the dynamic, power-based and interest-driven processes through which confl ict is regulated and make clear the basis of judgments rendered; others do not. Some studies explain how and why cases were selected; others do not. Some studies support broader generalizations; others are more “existence proofs.” These attributes of the fi eld confound the prospects for developing an exhaustive, integrated and defi nitive review of literature on the micropolitics of schools. Thus we adopt more modest aims.
