Neoliberalism and the New Common Sense in Education

In this essay, we provide a Marxist perspective in response to the surge of neoliberalism within the past few decades and its current assault on education at a global scale. We place particular emphasis on England and the United States. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci (1971), among other scholars, we provide a theoretical discussion of how ideology is made to appear as “common sense” in order to garner support and quiescence among the masses. Further, we examine this trend in current social media outlets, including Opt Out and Badass Teachers in the United States. We end with a brief discussion of how resisting neoliberal trends is not only necessary as a human responsibility to the most exploited communities today but also—drawing on Marx and Engels—we present what John Holloway (2010) terms “cracks to the structure of capitalism” and the potential for “other-creation” that offers glimpses of a socialist alternative.