The book introduces an interesting and relevant restructuring of educational policy and practice. The central idea, about relational realism being able to underpin a more adequate approach to educational policy and practice, is interesting, promising, and relatively novel. This book successfully demonstrates that a reconsideration of fundamental assumptions, and re-orientation toward a relational realist model, could be productive for many educational organizations and for many issues that educators face.
Prof Stanton Wortham
Boston College
I am a sociologist interested in the intersection between critical pedagogy and critical realism as a general sociological approach. Specifically, I am interested in the 'relational' turn in critical realism as an epistemic approach that views relations as the first ontological principle when observing and explaining social reality. In the context of knowing and learning, I seek to continuously investigate the implications of the 'relational' turn to think of new ways to relate freedom and directive authority.