Digital Protest and Activism in Public Education: Reactions to Neoliberal Restructuring in Israel

Digital protest and activism in response to the effects of neoliberalism in public education have grown globally in the twenty-first century, with teachers, parents, and other education stakeholders increasingly using digital media in their protest and activism efforts. This book investigates this gap by empirically exploring the construction, mobilization, and execution of Internet-based protest activity concerning public education issues. It proposes a novel taxonomy of social media uses by digital activists and argues that Internet-based social mobilizations develop different patterns of use based on the lived experience of their members and potential supporters. The book situates the rise of digital activism in education within the neoliberal restructuring of national education systems and the rise of neoliberal discourse of competition, budget discipline, and measurable achievements. Three cases of Internet-based mobilizations in Israel are highlighted, demonstrating how teachers and parents successfully affected public education policy.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 168 pages
\n Publication date: 01 November 2019
\n Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
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The impact of neoliberalism on public education has sparked a global wave of digital protest and activism in the 21st century. Countries like the US, UK, France, and Israel have witnessed the emergence of teachers, parents, and other stakeholders leveraging digital media to voice their concerns and advocate for change. While these efforts have garnered significant attention, they have largely been overlooked in academic research. This book aims to bridge this gap by conducting an empirical exploration of the construction, mobilization, and execution of Internet-based protest activities related to public education issues.

Through a comprehensive analysis, the book offers valuable insights into the study of educational politics in the digital age. It demonstrates how digital media empowers teachers and parents to create a bottom-up politics, bridging the gap between macro (policymaking) and micro (school) levels of education politics. The authors propose a novel taxonomy of social media uses by digital activists, highlighting the diverse patterns of engagement based on the lived experiences of members and potential supporters.

Furthermore, the book situates the rise of digital activism in education within the broader context of neoliberal restructuring of national education systems and the proliferation of neoliberal discourse of competition, budget discipline, and measurable achievements. The authors highlight three successful cases of Internet-based mobilizations in Israel, where teachers and parents have successfully influenced public education policy. By providing a case-study driven analysis, this book serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the fields of education policy and comparative education.

\n Weight: 184g\n
Dimension: 194 x 125 x 10 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781838671051\n \n