Book review : Critical theory and critical pedagogy today : toward a new critical language in education by Ilan Gur Ze'ev (ed.) Haifa : University of Haifa Press, 2005

Having straddled the fields of cultural studies and education for a number of years, I generally find most of what comes under the banner of Critical Pedagogy decidedly unsatisfying. While I am sympathetic to its political ideals, namely the fostering of critical capacities in students to enable a more just and equitable society, countering the reproductive tendencies of institutionalized education, for me Critical Pedagogy has been little more than emancipatory rhetoric with limited practical application. To some extent this criticism can also be levelled at this new collection of essays edited by Ilan Gur-Ze’ev. What makes it somewhat different, and worth a read, is that this collection was prompted by a concern that Critical Pedagogy has lost its relevance.