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A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!

Donna Rooney, David Boud, Carl Rhodes

Studies in the Education of Adults,, Volume: 42, Issue: 1, Pages: 18 - 33

Swansea University Author: Carl Rhodes

Abstract

<p>Noting the ever-increasing encroachment of discourses and practices from the private sector on public education providers, this paper argues that such organizations exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of 'education' and 'business...

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Published in: Studies in the Education of Adults,
Published: 2010
Online Access: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/niace/stea/2010/00000042/00000001/art00003
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa6614
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fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>6614</id><entry>2012-01-16</entry><title>A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>6323f8c559e113b1ead52a0e6bb00043</sid><firstname>Carl</firstname><surname>Rhodes</surname><name>Carl Rhodes</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2012-01-16</date><abstract>&lt;p&gt;Noting the ever-increasing encroachment of discourses and practices from the private sector on public education providers, this paper argues that such organizations exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of 'education' and 'business'. We report on fieldwork conducted in an adult education college in Sydney. In the Australian context these colleges are referred to as community colleges and their history is one based in a strong liberal tradition. Utilising Judith Butler's idea of 'drag' we consider the effects of changing modes of governance in the college with specific reference to the stories told to us about it. Our discussion suggests that the organisation was caught between identifying itself with a masculinised discourse of business and a discourse of community cast as its feminised other. In navigating between these, the college was seen to perform as a 'drag king' - an organisation performing the masculine but in so doing, undoing its gendered status. This leads us to suggest that the incorporation of business and market-based discourse into the management of community education is something that is actively resisted and undermined through such forms of gendered transgression. We conclude by proposing that this organization's capacity to perform drag is a contributing factor to its overall success, and particularly in an economic climate where many not-for-profit organisations are floundering.&lt;/p&gt;</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Studies in the Education of Adults,</journal><volume>42</volume><journalNumber>1</journalNumber><paginationStart>18</paginationStart><paginationEnd>33</paginationEnd><publisher/><placeOfPublication/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords/><publishedDay>31</publishedDay><publishedMonth>12</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2010</publishedYear><publishedDate>2010-12-31</publishedDate><doi/><url>http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/niace/stea/2010/00000042/00000001/art00003</url><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm/><lastEdited>2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000</lastEdited><Created>2012-01-16T10:07:14.0170000</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Management - Business Management</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Donna</firstname><surname>Rooney</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>David</firstname><surname>Boud</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Carl</firstname><surname>Rhodes</surname><order>3</order></author></authors><documents/><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000 v2 6614 2012-01-16 A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag! 6323f8c559e113b1ead52a0e6bb00043 Carl Rhodes Carl Rhodes true false 2012-01-16 <p>Noting the ever-increasing encroachment of discourses and practices from the private sector on public education providers, this paper argues that such organizations exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of 'education' and 'business'. We report on fieldwork conducted in an adult education college in Sydney. In the Australian context these colleges are referred to as community colleges and their history is one based in a strong liberal tradition. Utilising Judith Butler's idea of 'drag' we consider the effects of changing modes of governance in the college with specific reference to the stories told to us about it. Our discussion suggests that the organisation was caught between identifying itself with a masculinised discourse of business and a discourse of community cast as its feminised other. In navigating between these, the college was seen to perform as a 'drag king' - an organisation performing the masculine but in so doing, undoing its gendered status. This leads us to suggest that the incorporation of business and market-based discourse into the management of community education is something that is actively resisted and undermined through such forms of gendered transgression. We conclude by proposing that this organization's capacity to perform drag is a contributing factor to its overall success, and particularly in an economic climate where many not-for-profit organisations are floundering.</p> Journal Article Studies in the Education of Adults, 42 1 18 33 31 12 2010 2010-12-31 http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/niace/stea/2010/00000042/00000001/art00003 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University 2011-10-01T00:00:00.0000000 2012-01-16T10:07:14.0170000 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management Donna Rooney 1 David Boud 2 Carl Rhodes 3
title A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
spellingShingle A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
Carl Rhodes
title_short A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
title_full A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
title_fullStr A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
title_full_unstemmed A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
title_sort A community college's performance of 'organisation': it's a drag!
author_id_str_mv 6323f8c559e113b1ead52a0e6bb00043
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6323f8c559e113b1ead52a0e6bb00043_***_Carl Rhodes
author Carl Rhodes
author2 Donna Rooney
David Boud
Carl Rhodes
format Journal article
container_title Studies in the Education of Adults,
container_volume 42
container_issue 1
container_start_page 18
publishDate 2010
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
url http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/niace/stea/2010/00000042/00000001/art00003
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description <p>Noting the ever-increasing encroachment of discourses and practices from the private sector on public education providers, this paper argues that such organizations exist within competing sets of differences that seek to define and fix the meaning of 'education' and 'business'. We report on fieldwork conducted in an adult education college in Sydney. In the Australian context these colleges are referred to as community colleges and their history is one based in a strong liberal tradition. Utilising Judith Butler's idea of 'drag' we consider the effects of changing modes of governance in the college with specific reference to the stories told to us about it. Our discussion suggests that the organisation was caught between identifying itself with a masculinised discourse of business and a discourse of community cast as its feminised other. In navigating between these, the college was seen to perform as a 'drag king' - an organisation performing the masculine but in so doing, undoing its gendered status. This leads us to suggest that the incorporation of business and market-based discourse into the management of community education is something that is actively resisted and undermined through such forms of gendered transgression. We conclude by proposing that this organization's capacity to perform drag is a contributing factor to its overall success, and particularly in an economic climate where many not-for-profit organisations are floundering.</p>
published_date 2010-12-31T03:08:09Z
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