Inclusive education: romantic, subversive or realistic?

This paper seeks to identify some of the key issues involved in the question of inclusive education. This includes conceptual, ideological and practical difficulties. Part of a realistic approach to the topic necessitates an understanding of the context in which the struggle for inclusion takes place. Particular consideration is given to the marketization of education and the challenges it presents to those seeking to remove exclusionary practices. The paper argues for an understanding that can contribute to change and thus advocates the urgent need for a theory of political agency.