Governing through guidance: an analysis of educational guidance practices in an Italian lower secondary school.

Current social policy discourse defines educational and career guidance as a key tool to enhance individual self-realisation while pursuing collective social objectives (economic growth, reduction of drop-out rate, social inclusion). Relying on Foucault's concept of governmentality, critical researc...

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Published in:Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education Vol. 40; no. 6; pp. 773 - 789
Main Author: Romito, Marco
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Dec2019
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec2019
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        10.1080/01596306.2017.1314251
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        atl: Governing through guidance: an analysis of educational guidance practices in an Italian lower secondary school.
      aug:
        au: Romito, Marco
        affil: Department of Sociology and Social Research, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
      su:
        Educational counseling
        Vocational guidance
        Secondary schools
        Social integration
        Policy discourse
        Italy
      sug:
        subj:
          Italy
          Educational counseling
          Vocational guidance
          Secondary schools
          Social integration
          Policy discourse
      keyword:
        Foucault
        governmentality
        Guidance policies
        policy enactment
        self-evaluation forms
        self-management
        technology of power
        technology of the self
      ab: Current social policy discourse defines educational and career guidance as a key tool to enhance individual self-realisation while pursuing collective social objectives (economic growth, reduction of drop-out rate, social inclusion). Relying on Foucault's concept of governmentality, critical research has long destabilised this mainstream narrative by stressing that guidance polices constitute a technology of government through which the political ambition to govern is realised by shaping citizens' desires and ambitions. This article aims to provide an in-depth empirical analysis of how governing practices unfold within a concrete guidance setting. Based on ethnographic data, the essay focuses on guidance practices addressing 13–14-year-old students in Italy moving from comprehensive education to a tracked educational level. Particular emphasis is given to the role played by guidance forms, questionnaires and exercises. These materials, it is argued, enable particular technologies of the self that are key to involving individual in practices of self-government.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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