ABSTRACT
In this chapter I begin by making some brief comments on the influence of the ideas of Nietzsche, of those of the poststructuralists, Foucault and Derrida, and of the postmodernists, Lyotard and Baudrillard on the work of poststructuralist/ postmodernist educational theorists, Elizabeth Atkinson, Patti Lather and Judith Baxter. Next I take a snapshot of the current state of global capitalism. I then look at attempts in Britain and the US to argue the case, within educational theory, that postmodernism and poststructuralism can be forces for social change and social justice. Concentrating on Atkinson, Lather and Baxter, I argue that such claims are illusory. I make the case that Marxism is a more viable option in the pursuit of social change and social justice.
