ABSTRACT
For over two decades now, neoliberalism has been at the forefront of discussions not only in economy and finance but has infiltrated our vocabulary in a number of areas as diverse as governance studies, criminology, health care, jurisprudence, education etc. Interestingly enough, education has been at the very centre of the neoliberal public policy agenda as it allegedly represents one of the main indicators of future economic growth and individual well-being. While the analysis of the neoliberal agenda in education is well documented, the analysis of the language of neoliberalism education is at the fringes of scholarly interest. In particular, the expansion of the neoliberal vocabulary with egalitarian ideas such as fairness, justice, equality of opportunity, well-being etc. has received [at best] only limited attention. This introductory chapter presents some of the main delineating features of this shift of emphasis associated with the language of the neoliberal agenda in education and the associated phenomenon of the rebranding of neoliberalism It also introduces the chapters and the interview that are part of this volume.
