Foucault's Concept of Discourse and its Use in Analyzing the Discourse of Global Educational Policies and their Social Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35696/joa.v13i1.2461Keywords:
Discourse, Identity, Neoliberalism, Educational Policies, Commodification of Education, FoucaultAbstract
This article aimed to examine Michel Foucault’s concept of discourse and its interconnected notions of power, identity, and the care of the self, while exploring its application in analyzing and critiquing neoliberal discourse and its impact on educational policies. Employing a descriptive, theoretical methodology, the paper analyzes Foucault’s writings and relevant literature to elucidate his discourse theory and its implications. The findings showed how Foucault’s approach to discourse analysis was grounded in a set of rules, emphasizing its role as an intellectual tool rather than a fixed system. Results also underscored Foucault’s view of identity as a contextually lived experience and his use of genealogy to rethink relationships with oneself and others. Applying Foucault’s framework, the study critiqued neoliberal discourse, revealing its influence on global educational policies. Neoliberalism redefined education as a commodity, prioritizing economic goals over social and national interests, and shifting control from the state to the private sector. This reductive approach narrowed the role of education, emphasizing individual gains at the expense of collective well-being.
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