Polic(y)ing creativity

No word in English', notes Raymond Williams, 'carries a more consistently positive reference than "creative"'(1961/1973:19). Nevertheless, its etymology is 'difficult' (Williams 1961/1973:19, 1976/1988:82-84). 'Difficulty', of course, can arise from trying to trace a word's origins, or charting shifts of meaning through its evolution, or noting the odd, unexpected contexts in which a word may pop up even in contemporary uses. In this chapter, I am attempting to delineate uses of the word 'creative' (and 'creativity') in contemporary curriculum contexts. The discussion will include its uses in curriculum documents, but also in larger policy statements, particularly related to what have come to be called '21st century skills' and, then, as a manifestation of the role of neoliberalism in curricular and pedagogical debate. Drawing links between various manifestations of the concept of 'creativity' in policy and related documents in Australia and other countries provides a clear (indeed, stark) instance of the way global educational policy is converging as nation-states 'buy into' educational policy both derived from elsewhere and as a manifestation of a transnational 'neoliberal imaginary' (Rizvi and Lingard 2010).'Creativity', with its 'consistently positive reference', instantiates particular ideological work in current policy debate that needs to be open to investigation and analysis. The chapter finishes with a consideration of one manifestation of the concept of 'creativity' as it has been used in the recent history of English curriculum.