Activism as a long durée journey: Teachers against the Chilean neoliberal education model

Abstract

In this paper, I use the idea of purposes of education, particularly subjectification, and the concept of love to explore long-term teacher activism in Chile. ‘Long-term activism’ is used to describe an ongoing struggle rather than activism confined to specific moments. There has been extensive research on how Chilean student activism has challenged extreme forms of neoliberal education policies. However, little research has explored the ongoing engagement of former student activists as they transition into teacher activist roles. I explore the long durée of activism through narratives produced with 26 Chilean teachers who were former student activists. These narratives illuminate on the catalysts for their activism, their reasons for persisting and their aspirations for ongoing activism. The activists' narratives were generated using the Indigenous research methods of yarning, photoyarn and testimonios. Thinking about the teachers' narratives with the concepts of subjectification and love enabled me to write about the (im)possibilities of social justice in and through schooling. While much has been written about the ways in which schools reproduce inequalities, there is less research on the potential disruptive work of activist teachers in challenging entrenched educational inequalities.