ABSTRACT
Central to the development of a radical pedagogy is a reformulation of this dualism between agency and structure, a reformulation that can make possible a critical interrogation of how human beings come together within historically specific social sites such as schools in order to both make and reproduce the conditions of their existence. This chapter argues that the precondition for the development of a critical theory of schooling is a reworking of the notion of ideology. Ideology is a crucial construct for understanding how meaning is produced, transformed, and consumed by individuals and social groups. As a tool of critical analysis, it digs beneath the phenomenal forms of classroom knowledge and social practices and helps to locate the structuring principles and ideas that mediate between the dominant society and the everyday experiences of teachers and students.
