Barry Down

Emeritus Professor, School of Education, Murdoch University

Conference presentation

'You can't be neutral on a moving train': Why critical educational research matters in 'dark times'

by B. Down

Published 2013

Western Australian Institute for Educational Research 28th Annual Research Forum, 10/08/2013, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Western Australia

This presentation borrows the title of Howard Zinn's (2002) book 'You can't be neutral on a moving train' to provoke some difficult conversations about the crisis of education with a view to advancing the centrality of critical educational research in 'dark times' (Arendt, 1968). The intent is, firstly, to identify how schools and those who inhabit them are increasingly 'caught in the crossfire' (Grossberg, 2005) of a regime of hyper-accountability, corporatisation and deficit ideologies (Ahlquist, Gorski & Montano, 2011) and how things came to be this way; secondly, to explore what it means to be a critical researcher in conservative times and what kinds of obstacles and possibilities exist; and thirdly, to identify some potential research issues worthy of critical investigation and how we might go about the task. At the end of the day, I hope we are better placed to start some purposeful conversations around the question: 'Has our research done anything to level the playing field, to overcome disparity, to promote a more mutually beneficial democratic society?' (Shields, 2012, p. 12)

Conference presentation

Talkin' bout their generation: Empowered youth in an era of chaos and indecision

by B. Down

Published 2012

Inaugural International Youth Studies Congress, 11/04/2012, University of Calgary, Canada

Invited participant

Conference presentation

Hope required when growing roses in concrete: Rethinking student engagement for learning

by B. Down

Published 2012

South East Education Community (SEEC) and Discover Conference, 30/01/2012, Murdoch University, Murdoch

Invited address