Rethinking Agents of Transformation: Social Mobilizations and Official Knowledge

Abstract Questions of structures and agency are significant in any serious considerations the possibilities, limits, effects educational reforms. But interrelations between policy practice cannot be answered unless we deal directly with a number issues: Who agents what structures, movements, identities that might lead to actions support or resist dominant policies practices. In this chapter, I critically examine three examples agentic work. Each has its basis successful struggles over knowledge, considered “legitimate” official understandings, mechanisms make these understandings available. The first two direct our attention set who not talked about enough—students as political/epistemological actors. third asks whether tactical “hybrid” alliances ideologically different movements can successfully challenge policies. All them demonstrate importance understanding nature collective alliance building creation activist identities. contributes larger questions raised above.