The (Bio)Politicization of Neuroscience in Australian Early Years Policies: Fostering Brain-Resources "as" Human Capital

Autor/inn/en	Millei, Zsuzsa; Joronen, Mikko
Titel	The (Bio)Politicization of Neuroscience in Australian Early Years Policies: Fostering Brain-Resources "as" Human Capital
Quelle	In: Journal of Education Policy, 31 (2016) 4, S.389-404 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0268-0939
DOI	10.1080/02680939.2016.1148780
Schlagwörter	Neurosciences; Human Capital; Early Childhood Education; Neoliberalism; Classification; Social Discrimination; Social Differences; Neurological Organization; Educational Policy; Child Care; Biology; Scientific Research; Foreign Countries; Economic Factors; Policy Analysis; Disadvantaged; Poverty; Parenting Styles; Cognitive Development; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Neuroscience; Neurowissenschaften; Neurowissenschaft; Humankapital; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Neo-liberalism; Neoliberalismus; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Soziale Benachteiligung; Soziale Schließung; Sozialer Unterschied; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Kinderfürsorge; Kinderbetreuung; Biologie; Ausland; Ökonomischer Faktor; Politikfeldanalyse; Armut; Kognitive Entwicklung; Australien
Abstract	At the present, human capital theory (HCT) and neuroscience reasoning are dominant frameworks in early childhood education and care (ECEC) worldwide. Popular since the 1960s, HCT has provided an economic understanding of human beings and offered strategies to manage the population with the promise of bringing improvements to nations. Neuroscience arguments added new ways to regulate human beings, and thus another "hopeful ethos" and investment into the future. In this paper, we examine different positive, life-improving, and hopeful takes on early childhood as forms of biopolitical government, which are closely related to the enhancement of individual capacities and the shifting problems of the neoliberal state. Curiously, this process, grounded on biological fatalism and naturalizing arguments, has led to new class categorizations and ways of social discrimination. We hence argue that even though a "hopeful ethos" is offered through the (bio)politicization of neurosciences, it has led to eugenic arguments by re-inscribing social and economic differences into differences in brain architecture. Finally, we aim to demonstrate that ECEC policy offers an example of how current policies govern through scientific evidence and softer forms of "government by example", at the same time moving the government of population into the home, and with that privatizing and personalizing self-investment. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01