Reimagining Utopias: Theory and Method for Educational Research in Post-Socialist Contexts (Bold Visions in Educational Research)

Reimagining Utopias explores the shifting social imaginaries of post-socialist transformations to understand what happens when the new and old utopias of post-socialism confront the new and old utopias of social science. This peer-reviewed volume addresses the theoretical, methodological, and ethical dilemmas encountered by researchers in the social sciences as they plan and conduct education research in post-socialist settings, as well as disseminate their research findings. Through an interdisciplinary inquiry that spans the fields of education, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history, the book explores three broad questions: How can we (re)imagine research to articulate new theoretical insights about post-socialist education transformations in the context of globalization? How can we (re)imagine methods to pursue alternative ways of producing knowledge? And how can we navigate various ethical dilemmas in light of academic expectations and fieldwork realities? Drawing on case studies, conceptual and theoretical essays, autoethnographic accounts, as well as synthetic introductory and conclusion chapters by the editors, this book advances an important conversation about these complicated questions in geopolitical settings ranging from post-socialist Africa to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The contributors not only expose the limits of Western conceptual frameworks and research methods for understanding post-socialist transformations, but also engage creatively in addressing the persisting problems of knowledge hierarchies created by abstract universals, epistemic difference, and geographical distance inherent in comparative and international education research. This book challenges the readers to question the existing education narratives and rethink taken-for-granted beliefs, theoretical paradigms, and methodological frameworks in order to reimagine the world in more complex and pluriversal ways. Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introducing Research Dilemmas in Post-Socialist Education Contexts....Pages 1-12 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 “She’s Our Spy”....Pages 15-31 From the Inside Outside....Pages 33-47 “Now I have Three Directors”....Pages 49-64 Pedagogical Peep Show....Pages 65-81 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 Reflections on Holocaust Education of the Roma Genocide in Romania....Pages 85-100 Journey of a “Gadzhe” Researcher....Pages 101-117 Fieldwork as Socially Constructed and Negotiated Practice....Pages 119-139 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Institutional Review Boards and Intercultural Research Barriers....Pages 143-161 “Come Together”....Pages 163-179 Facing the Research Challenges....Pages 181-198 Using Document Analysis Methodology to Explore Educational Reforms and Policy Changes in Post-Soviet Ukraine....Pages 199-214 Front Matter....Pages 215-215 Beyond Teleological Rationality in Post-Socialist Educational Research....Pages 217-225 Theorizing Standardized Assessment in Croatia....Pages 227-244 Slovenian Pedagogy between Social Sciences and Humanities....Pages 245-259 Tirguaamme....Pages 261-280 Masakhane, Ubuntu, and Ujamaa....Pages 281-297 Front Matter....Pages 299-299 (Re)Imagining Utopias....Pages 301-315 Back Matter....Pages 317-327